<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Amor Vincit Omnia by Amethyst_Deceiver</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27514366">Amor Vincit Omnia</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amethyst_Deceiver/pseuds/Amethyst_Deceiver'>Amethyst_Deceiver</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic Fluff, F/M, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Summaries, Reader is Very Parental, Reader-Insert, Romantic Fluff, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, no beta we die like men</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:33:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>49,674</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27514366</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amethyst_Deceiver/pseuds/Amethyst_Deceiver</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>(Y/N) lives a difficult, yet peaceful life as Rin's volunteer caretaker and adopted sister. The two handle their lives as they come, finding the bliss each day offers, but when disaster strikes and their lives are changed forever, the duo finds comfort in each other, their new comrades, and the friends that fate has yet to introduce to them. Nevertheless, life isn't always peaceful and some thrown punches by the world just need to be blocked by a silver-haired demon lord. [Ongoing]<br/>(Originally Posted on Quotev Under the Same Name)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rin &amp; Reader (InuYasha), Rin &amp; Sesshoumaru (InuYasha), Sesshoumaru (InuYasha)/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>92</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Fated Encounters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Golden rays of sunlight filtered through the rustling leaves, bathing the dark foliage in mesmerizing orange-yellow hues and casting a delicate, but fierce shade of light upon all that could be seen for miles. There was a slight breeze in the air, rustling (Y/N)’s (H/C) hair, and involuntarily forcing her to sneeze as the dust and pollen were placidly stirred by another bout of soft wind. </p><p>        A young girl walked alongside (Y/N)’s form. Her head tilted back to look at the older girl as she rubbed at her nose irritatedly. The child’s small hands kept a firmer hold on (Y/N)’s free hand, earning a confused, but pleasant look from (Y/N).</p><p>        “Is something wrong, Rin?”</p><p>        The black-haired girl shook her head and smiled innocently, enjoying the company (Y/N)’s presence provided. (Y/N) was much like an older sister to the small, eight-year-old girl, and Rin was much like a younger sister to the poor, seventeen-year-old woman. Fate had brought them together two years prior as (Y/N) journeyed and both were grateful that the world had offered them that second chance at familial bonds. Life was difficult and by no means comfortable, but they found solace in the emotional and physical support they offered to each other. They relished in the luxury of life’s small things, both vividly aware that a gift was never to be wasted. </p><p>        (Y/N) smiled gently and returned her attention forwards, not particularly fond of the idea of mindlessly walking into an obstructive tree branch. A sudden twig snap and a burst of warning birds' caws immediately sent both girl’s survival instincts into overdrive and hopelessly shattered the warmth of the sunset-lit scene. (Y/N) gently released Rin’s hand to push her form closer to her own body. The older woman was unconfident in her ability to protect both herself and the smaller child, but she refused to admit defeat before an enemy was even introduced. An uneasy silence enveloped the pair as they prepared themselves for a danger that lurked in the shadows. </p><p>        The moments passed and the forest seemed to settle once more. Rin became increasingly antsier, prompting the duo to resume their walk, (Y/N) rationally deciding to keep a calloused hand rested on Rin’s small shoulder as they stood silently. </p><p>        Rin offered little protest to (Y/N)’s efforts, but, being as curious as she naturally was, she gradually quickened her pace to appease her wonder. (Y/N), not wanting to be separated from the vulnerable child, kept pace with the brown-eyed girl until Rin suddenly stopped to peer around the thick trunk of a tree. </p><p>        “Rin…” (Y/N) trailed off, copying her junior’s actions and examined what caught Rin’s interest.</p><p>        A man radiating elegance lay propped against the trunk of a tree. His silverly-white hair was drenched in the fading light, adding to his seemingly perfect complexion. Evenly parted bangs framed a lavender crescent moon; two symmetrically aligned magenta stripes were printed on his cheekbones. A red-orange tint lined his eyelids. Noticing the odd markings, (Y/N) quickly realized the man was not human at all, a shiver of dread running down her spine. </p><p>        “We need to leave,” (Y/N) whispered in a hushed tone. </p><p>        The not-so-subtle noise further alerted the yōkai of the duo’s presence, the man suddenly lunging forwards and growling viciously at the unwanted visitors. To (Y/N)’s horror, she noted the rather large fangs situated in his mouth and the blood-red hue of his sclera. (Y/N) and Rin gasped in synchrony, Rin instinctively clutching onto the (E/C) eyed woman, while (Y/N)  inched towards the closest tree. The (H/C) haired teenager felt Rin shake in fear for a brief moment, then noted the weight of the small child’s hands suddenly disappearing from her yukata a short moment later. </p><p>        (Y/N) watched in abject terror as Rin took two steps forward, effectively leaving the cover of the leafy foliage. Fearing for Rin’s life, the older girl remained silent but walked behind Rin as she approached the aggravated daiyōkai, prepared to take the brunt of an attack if the male made another malicious move. </p><p>        He failed to make another attempt at harming them but continued to watch the pair in a circumspect, calculating manner. (Y/N) allowed Rin to gently place a bamboo water container before the demon, then silently ushered her away for the time being. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        As the moon hung idly overhead, (Y/N) and Rin returned to the injured daiyōkai’s resting spot. He had not moved since earlier that evening and the water the girl’s offered apparently remained untouched. (Y/N) took a breath to secure her courage, then quietly placed a make-shift leaf plate containing a skewered, cooked fish and three shiitake mushrooms. It wasn’t much, but Rin and (Y/N) hoped it helped the recuperating yōkai in some way or another. The (H/C) haired teenager turned to leave, padding softly back to Rin when they both heard the injured man speak. </p><p>        “Mind your own business,” the demon warned monotonously, “I don’t eat what humans eat.” </p><p>        The (E/C) eyed female looked over her shoulder, but quickly returned her gaze to Rin and yet again ushered the child away from what she assumed to be a great threat to their wellbeing. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        The cold water trickled over (Y/N)’s bare feet, an assortment of pebbles poking awkwardly, and sometimes, painfully into the soles of her feet as she worked calmly at her task. Rin was a few feet upstream participating in the same task. Both of the girl’s dirty yukatas were rolled up, but the stray ends and bottom trims were wet with the cold moonlit water. </p><p>        The soft sounds of Rin’s success, combined with her suddenly standing upright alerted (Y/N) of her achievement. The (H/C) haired woman smiled proudly and waded over to the black-haired girl. A small fish was clasped in her hands, but the look of surprised happiness more than made up for the fish’s meager size. </p><p>        “Good job, Rin,” (Y/N) complemented, “We’ll-.”</p><p>        The teenager was interrupted by a middle-aged man’s triumphant exclamation: “I knew it!” </p><p>        Rin dropped the fish she had captured and (Y/N) quickly shifted her larger body to shield her junior. </p><p>        “(Y/N)! Rin! You’re the culprits!” </p><p>        The (E/C) eyed teenager gulped, having a vivid premonition of what was to come. The men were angry, large, and were more than capable of overpowering the two with little to no effort; And, as she predicted, the duo was carelessly yanked from the water. (Y/N) quickly reacted, tucking the eight-year-old behind her arms and against her body. </p><p>        The group of five men pushed (Y/N)’s body to the ground, her arm taking the brunt of the fall for both Rin and herself. She winced, but refused to cry; To cry meant showing weakness, and that was something she refused to do in front of her opposers. </p><p>        “You stole the fish from the fish preserve.” </p><p>        (Y/N) was harshly kicked in the back by one of the five men, followed by a boot connecting with the teenager’s forearm. The (E/C) eyed youth momentarily released Rin’s figure, which she immediately regretted when a man’s kick connected with the girl’s side. She groaned, and (Y/N) quickly tried again to cover the girl’s body to the best of her ability. The beating continued for longer than (Y/N) would like to remember, but eventually, she was pulled up by the front of her dirt-smudged yukata. </p><p>        “If you try this again, we’ll beat you to death!” the original middle-aged man snarled, throwing the (E/C) eyed teen into the dirt. </p><p>        (Y/N) struggled to her feet, helping Rin do the same. The older of the pair winced, noting multiple spots of significant pain, but forced her own suffering down to quietly walk Rin away from the belligerent men. </p><p>        “Dawn! Those are some creepy kids! Won’t even cry!” </p><p>        “Can’t be helped.” </p><p>        (Y/N) and Rin retreated to the shack they shared on the outskirts of town. They helped clean each other’s wounds and eventually curled up side-by-side on a dismal bed of grass and straw; Both thoroughly exhausted, aching, and too weary to notice the rumbling of their empty stomachs. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~</p><p> </p><p>        The sun rose a few hours later, much too soon for (Y/N)’s taste. She groggily pulled herself out of bed, awaking Rin and initiating their daily morning routine. The older girl picked the straw out of Rin’s medium-length black hair and pulled some of her black locks into a little side ponytail. It fitted the innocence of the little girl and (Y/N) found herself smiling as she did so; Despite the action being routine and rather mundane. </p><p>        When (Y/N) was finished with the girl’s hair, Rin returned the favor by gently weaving her senior’s (H/C) hair into a braid that trailed down to the bottom of her shoulder blades. They shared a smile of affection, before they began their walk to the nearby forest. </p><p>        Roughly an hour later, the female pair were walking towards the fair-skinned demon’s location, Rin carrying another make-shift plate. Due to the failure of the previous night, it’s contents were a few strips of herbs the duo found while foraging that very morning. </p><p>        The pair arrived at the daiyōkai’s clearing, Rin moving forward to offer the food to the recuperating demon while (Y/N) stayed behind a few feet.</p><p>        “No thanks,” the white-haired male rejected, not even blinking as the girl approached. </p><p>        Rin, however, jogged towards the demon, falling to her knees and making a muffled wordless plea to the male. She held her arms out further, though the demon completely avoided eye contact, opting to stare off into the distance. </p><p>        “I told you I don’t need anything.” </p><p>        Rin sighed dejectedly and lowered the offering. Noting the mood of both the demon and Rin, (Y/N) decided they ought to leave. She moved forward, crouched beside the black-haired girl, and gently tapped Rin’s shoulders to gain her attention. The older girl didn’t want her to be injured further, and while he appeared to be calm, (Y/N) feared he would revert to the viciousness he displayed in their first encounter.</p><p>        “What’s with the bruises on your face?” the male questioned, though (Y/N) couldn’t tell whom the question was aimed towards. </p><p>        Rin looked towards (Y/N) and their eyes briefly met, both considerably more curious about the injured male before them. The demon tilted his head, though he still avoided eye contact with either of the girls. </p><p>        “If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine.” </p><p>        (Y/N) blinked and examined Rin who had let out a soft gasp at his words. Her eyes sparkled with wonder, as the silver-haired male finally looked at the pair, his golden eyes leisurely examining the girls before him. Rin beamed brightly, naturally, (Y/N) followed suit, unable to find Rin’s infectious grin to be nullifiable. The golden-eyed male shifted his attention from the younger girl to her older companion, taking note of the similar bruises blossoming along her face, but the obvious look of love in her (E/C) eyes as she watched her smaller friend interact. The trait caught the male’s attention, intriguing him to an extent he would never openly admit. </p><p>        “What’re you smiling about? I only asked you a question,” he uttered in monotone. </p><p>        (Y/N) blinked and looked into the white-haired yōkai’s golden orbs, “Sometimes you can’t help but react when you see your loved ones happy.” </p><p>        Rin happily looked towards (Y/N), the latter gesturing for the girl to stand and take their leave. (Y/N) committed to a slight bow before leaving, Rin mimicking her movements, and they both shuffled away to continue foraging for a satisfying meal. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        Rin and (Y/N) had failed to find anything edible, but were somewhat reassured by the knowledge they had a few sparse stores at home.  (Y/N) idly commented on things along their walk, pointing out the quick splash of a jumping fish or the almost noiseless retreat of turtles as they neared the shelled creatures. Rin nodded mutely, excitedly pointing out things she spotted as well. The (E/C) eyed youth was accustomed to Rin’s muteness, as two-years will often do, but she often felt a pang of sadness when she noted Rin’s want to speak, but has the inability to do so. The older female wasn’t sure if she was born mute or if a traumatic experience had altered her vocal cords, though, to be honest, (Y/N) had the feeling she would never quite figure out the full story. </p><p>        The girls soon arrived at their waterside shack. (Y/N) entered as she usually did, but promptly stopped at the sight before her, her hand automatically reaching for Rin’s figure. The black-haired female quietly clasped the older girl’s yukata, also noticing the eerie presence of the older male and acknowledging (Y/N)’s tensity. </p><p>        A man in a ragged fur vest and faded forest-green undershirt was greedily slurping the girl’s water reserve. (Y/N) felt a pang of anger flash through her body at the sight.</p><p>        “Excuse me, sir, I believe that’s ours.” (Y/N) stated, her voice adopting a sterner, colder tone. In defiance of her collected appearance, the teen was endlessly grateful to whatever gods existed that her voice didn’t nervously crack or that her racing heart didn’t implode at the mere thought of speaking. </p><p>        The man, in surprise, turned around, “What? Is this old hut yours?” </p><p>        (Y/N) nodded firmly, gently pushing a nervous Rin closer and hooking her arm around the girl’s shoulder. The one-eyed man appeared as if he was going to respond, but was interrupted by the frantic cries of the nearby villagers. </p><p>        “Wolves! Wolves!” </p><p>        The man visibly responded to the distressed cries, sputtering as he roughly pushed past Rin and (Y/N). </p><p>        “They’ve caught up already!” </p><p>        The man determinedly flees from the shack, jumping into the river and attempting to swim across the width of the flowing water. The (H/C) haired teen and her smaller companion could only watch in terror as a pack of wolves bound into the water after the thief. They converge upon the one-eyed man, dragging him underwater and returning him to the shore of the river. </p><p>        Seeing this, a black-haired male dressed in fur clothing and metallic armor approached the captured man. </p><p>        “I searched for you, thief!” he proclaimed, “Now hand over the Sacred Jewel fragment you stole.” </p><p>        (Y/N) wasn’t absolutely positive of what the men were discussing, but she had heard rumors and watched with morbidly rapt interest; Unable to tear her eyes away from the scene unfolding before her. </p><p>        “All right. I won’t run,” the thief states dejectedly, digging into an inner pocket of his now waterlogged vest. He silently pulled out a small purple shard, placing it into the hand of his captor. The commander of the wolves smirks resumes an upright stance, and begins to walk away. </p><p>        “Thanks, you’re gonna lemme go?” the thief questions, some form of relief evident in his tone. </p><p>        The black-haired male smirked and suddenly lashed out, brutally murdering the defeated, one-eyed thief. (Y/N) took this as their cue to run and quickly seized Rin’s shaking hand, pulling the girl into her arms as she began to dash into the dense forest. </p><p>        As they ran, a chilling, “You can stay in the village and eat what you like” echoed in (Y/N)’s ears. In her fright, she quickly thought of the silver-haired daiyōkai they had been assisting, praying that he would, despite his blatant detachment, be willing to save them from the wolves frightfully chasing after them. </p><p>        In her blind panic, (Y/N)'s foot caught on a root protruding from the downtrodden dirt path. She collapsed, careful to avoid crushing Rin under her weight and instantly tried to stand again. Yet the brief moment of weakness, allowed the wolves to shorten their hunt, the feral brown-pelted canines pouncing on the weakened pair. (Y/N) could only cry in agony as she tried to shield Rin from the brunt of the wolves' attacks. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru!” a staff-wielding imp yelled atop a two-headed dragon yōkai as they embarked on the task to find their missing master. “Lord Sesshomaru! Please answer! Where are you?! Lord Sesshomaru!”</p><p>        The yellow-eyed demon received no reply from the white-haired demon lord, making the servant sweat worriedly: “Is it possible that Lord Sesshomaru… was slain in one sweep by Inuyasha?” He pondered over this as he eyed the ground far below, but something eventually clicked mentally, resulting in the large-eyed creature to mumble again. “In one sweep?” he repeated, “Talk about one sweep…”.</p><p>        The imp landed the dragon yōkai he was riding, allowing the beast to rest as he pondered over his nagging thoughts. He sat atop the brown scaled demon, girlishly picking the petals from a wildflower, alternating between “testing his sword” and “not” with each white petal he plucked. He gaped in shameless astonishment as he landed on “testing his sword.” </p><p>        “He was testing his sword?!” he exclaimed standing up, staring in shock at nothing in particular, “Lord Sesshomaru! Would you have let me die that time?! Lord Sesshomaru!” </p><p>        A perfectly aimed stone suddenly connected with the small imp’s head, forcefully knocking him off the sleeping dragon demon. He landed in the grass beside the brown scaled beast, awakening the creature from its idle slumbering. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru!” Jaken cried, noticing the approaching form of the fur-wearing demon lord. </p><p>        The green demon hopped atop one of the dragon’s two-heads urgently asking, “Were you testing your sword on me?!” </p><p>        “Weren’t you looking for me out of concern?”</p><p>        “Err… well,” the small imp stuttered, “Lord Sesshomaru, I’m so glad to see you well…” </p><p>        Another well-aimed stone smashed into Jaken’s large head, sending him once again flying into the ground. Sesshomaru watched his servant stoically, but a spontaneous gust of wind drew his attention away from the small form of the imp. </p><p>        “Blood… and the smell of wolves,” Sesshomaru concluded mentally, turning his head to face the direction of the smell, quietly mumbling, “The smell of this blood…”. Sesshomaru, curious and somewhat concerned, begins his endeavors to examine the source of the smell. He collectedly walks along the path the unfortunate pair had met their end upon. </p><p>        “What is that?” Jaken questioned, pointing out the battered bodies of two females, one older and the other younger. The imp approached the corpses in an unperturbed manner, “Oh, they’re a goner.” He briefly examined the corpse of the (H/C) haired woman, “Must have been attacked by wolves… She’s been bitten to death.”</p><p>        Sesshomaru stopped behind Jaken, seemingly undisturbed by the brutal murder of the girls before him. Yet, there was nagging in the back of the lord’s mind, the older female’s words echoing in his consciousness. </p><p> </p><p>“Sometimes you can’t help but react when you see your loved ones happy.” </p><p> </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru, do you know these humans?” Jaken questioned curiously, looking back at his master in question. His lord, however, simply drew his skillfully crafted sword, resulting in Jaken shouting a surprised: “Lord Sesshomaru!” </p><p>        The white-haired yōkai paid no heed to his blustering servant, rather he watched as the underworld’s henchmen appeared before his eyes.  </p><p>        “I can see them,” he noted mentally, quietly watching as they got closer to seizing the lives of the girls. </p><p>        “Should I try it? The power of the Tenseiga.” Sesshomaru monotonously questioned himself aloud. </p><p>        “T-test it! Lord Sesshomaru, what did you just say?” Jaken sputtered in disbelief, still shaken up by his previous encounter with the blade. </p><p>        Sesshomaru, apparently making a decision, deftly destroys the goblins of the netherworld in one fell swoop. He sheaths his healing blade and crouches beside the body of the (H/C) woman. He carefully leans her form against his armored chest with his available arm, watching in mute surprise as the teenager’s (E/C) eyes begin to groggily open. It takes a moment for the seventeen-year-old to process the entire situation, but upon realizing Rin wasn’t beside her, she quickly snapped to full attention.</p><p>        “Where’s Rin?” she asked hoarsely, her body not fully recuperated from the gruesome experience. </p><p>        The golden-eyed male did not respond, simply looking towards Rin’s body who was also slowly awakening from death. (Y/N) felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes as she attempted to sit upright, Sesshomaru kindly helping her to a sitting position as he eyed her in a soft manner. (Y/N) crawled to the small brown-eyed girl, pulling the girl into an embrace both desperately needed. </p><p>        “She’s come back to life!” Jaken exclaimed in disbelief,  “Lord Sesshomaru… did you save that girl with the Tenseiga?”</p><p>        The imp’s master failed to respond to his question, rather he stood and continued to walk down the worn path. </p><p>        “L-lord … Sesshomaru…,” the servant muttered in disbelief,  “Lord Sesshomaru saved a human...I’m almost in shock… But didn’t he just say that he was testing it? T-then … Did you really test that sword on me?! Lord Sesshomaru! I am so sad! I am so sad! So sad is Jaken!” The imp burst into tears, wiping them away with the sleeves of his dirt brown kariginu. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru! You are so cruel!” </p><p>        (Y/N) and Rin paid little heed to the whining green creature, rather they intently watched the form of the white-haired demon lord as he walked. The girls shared a look, both unanimously deciding to follow their aloof savior. (Y/N) released her hold on the black-haired girl and stood as well. Rin held out her hand, to which (Y/N) took in her own. The duo smiled at each other before hurriedly jogging after the male to catch up. </p><p>        “Huh?” Jaken uttered, noticing the females up ahead,  “Lord Sesshomaru, please wait!” </p><p>        Sesshomaru considered his actions as he walked, toning out the calls of his servant and the sounds of the girl’s footsteps. </p><p>“Hmm… Tenseiga, huh?” he wondered to himself, “It made me save two humans.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A sequel was announced for InuYasha this month and I had a major mental breakdown. I don't know what switches were pressed or what strings were pulled, but I'm glad it led to this result. It goes without saying, but I'm irrationally excited about the sequel's planned release in the fall. Anyway, the announcement brought up some serious nostalgia and I was prompted to action; Hence the publication of this semi-serious passion project.</p><p>        On a side note, if you notice any grammatical or general errors, feel free to comment or privately message. I'm always open to critique and will try to apply your advice if it is applicable. Venturing on a different trail of thought (again), the plot will follow canonical InuYasha*, but will, of course, have some of my own plot and variations being thrown into the mix. </p><p>*The plot, along with character personalities and skills, will follow the Japanese dubbed [English Subbed] anime of InuYasha.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Traveling with a Demon Lord</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(Y/N) wiped a trickle of sweat off her forehead with the sleeve of her (F/C) yukata. She watched Rin happily run through the grassy field in which they trekked; Both amused and absolutely befuddled by Rin’s endless energy. The (H/C) haired teenager turned her attention towards the white-haired demon lord as he led the small group by a gap of a few yards. (Y/N) felt uncomfortable just looking at the armor and heavy fur he wore underneath the hot sun, but decided his demon blood probably prevented him from feeling most of the effects of the fiery sun. </p><p>        The girl’s (E/C) eyes then traveled to the beast she was walking beside curiously. Rin had learned the dragon yōkai wasn’t named a day ago, and simply couldn’t stand it, almost immediately dubbing the right head “A” and the left “Un”, or “A-Un”, in relation to the two-headed beast as a whole. (Y/N) smiled softly, enjoying the demon’s benevolent presence amongst the group of vagabonds. </p><p>        Rin bounded over to (Y/N), a small bouquet of field flowers clasped in her small hands. </p><p>        “(Y/N), (Y/N), look what I found!” she cheered, handing the bunch of flowers to the older girl.</p><p>        “They’re lovely, Rin,” she replied, accepting the small bouquet in her free hand. She carefully examined the flowers lovingly, but a wry smile soon contorted her previously soft expression. “Rin, maybe you should make one for Jaken too; Or, better yet, a flower crown.”</p><p>        “Absolutely not, you insolent woman!” Jaken protested from a few feet ahead. </p><p>        (Y/N) snickered lightheartedly. They had been traveling with Lord Sesshomaru and his prideful servant for close to three-days and the teenager was quick to find that she enjoyed teasing the staff-wielding imp; Considering everything fair game in the art of pestering. </p><p>        “I’d like that!” Rin cheered, darting off to track down more blossoming flowers. (Y/N) nodded and smiled, still a little unaccustomed to Rin’s merry voice after two-years of nothing but muteness. </p><p>        Jaken huffed in arrogance and (Y/N) found herself snickering again. Though she enjoyed teasing the small demon, (Y/N) held the imp to a certain degree of respect. He had devotedly followed Sesshomaru for centuries and, under all of his prejudiced words, was probably wiser than (Y/N) dared to ever understand; Nevertheless, she could stand to have the imp speak a little less. </p><p>        Rin came frolicking back a few minutes later, a sloppy circlet of harvested flowers held delicately in her hands. She trotted behind the shorter demon, innocently placing the crown upon his head before walking over to (Y/N). Jaken sputtered and immediately removed the crown of flowers, harshly casting it aside. Rin gasped and plodded over to retrieve the small circle of torn flowers. She picked them up and returned to (Y/N)’s side. </p><p>        “Master Jaken didn’t want them,” she explained sadly, a little downhearted by the big-eyed demon’s blatant disregard.</p><p>        The (E/C) eyed seventeen-year-old stopped, indirectly stopping A-Un as well. “Here,” (Y/N) stated, crouching down to be level with the much shorter child, “I’ll wear them for him.” </p><p>        Rin burst into a beaming grin and placed the circlet against (Y/N)’s head. </p><p>        “Thank you very much, Rin,” (Y/N) said, resuming her walking pace so as not to make them fall behind. </p><p>        Rin held (Y/N)’s free hand, while the other was occupied with carrying Rin’s bouquet of flowers and A-Un’s reins. The girls and the two-headed demon walked in comfortable silence, following the Inu-Daiyōkai as he apathetically led far ahead. Before long, the sun was beginning to sink below the mountainous horizon, once again casting a yellowy-golden light upon the lower realm. (Y/N) was mesmerized by the clouds idly drifting upon the sea of red, orange, and yellow; Lazily lost in her own thoughts as she walked. </p><p>        “(Y/N), I’m starting to get really hungry,” Rin commented, breaking her senior from her trance of pointless thought. </p><p>        The (H/C) haired teenager examined Rin with her (E/C) orbs, the topic reminding her of her own hunger. Now that the girl mentioned it, the last time they had eaten was around midday yesterday and they had filled their days with nothing but walking since. </p><p>        (Y/N) nodded, “I’ll see if Lord Sesshomaru will allow us to forage for a few minutes. Rin, can you hold A-Un’s reins?” </p><p>        The eight-year-old hummed her agreement and released her grip on the (E/C) eyed woman’s hand, her now available hand being held out expectantly. (Y/N) smiled and relinquished the leather reins to the girl, who happily grasped the straps and began to fruitlessly hold a one-sided conversation with the dragon yōkai. </p><p>        (Y/N) jogged ahead, keeping approximately an arm’s length between herself and the white-haired male. The youth gulped, but steeled her courage, “Pardon me, Lord Sesshomaru.” </p><p>        The young female, however, did not receive a reply by the Inu-Daiyōkai himself, rather Jaken protested in the male’s unneeded stead. “How dare you approach Milord, you lowly mortal!” Jaken barked, chaotically waving his Nintōjō at the youth. </p><p>        “Jaken,” Sesshomaru warned, coldly eyeing the imp from the corner of his eye.</p><p>        Jaken obediently clamped his beak shut at his lord’s command, slightly fearful of the looming potential of physical retribution. (Y/N) did not speak again, finding the encounter to be rather tense and didn’t want  to be on the receiving end of Sesshomaru’s anger either. </p><p>        “What is it, (Y/N)?” the lord questioned monotonously, his eyes remaining forward. </p><p>        “Ah, well, Rin and I wanted to know if we could have your permission to forage while there was still light out,” she explained, her voice coming out more timidly then she wanted, “We haven’t -”</p><p>        “We’ll be camping soon. If you can wait till then, I’ll allow it.” </p><p>        The (E/C) eyed female expressed her gratitude and bowed slightly, much like she had done a few days prior, and stopped in her tracks for Rin and A-Un to catch up to her on the down-trodden trail. </p><p>        “We’ll be camping soon and he’ll allow it if we wait until then,” (Y/N) reported, a grin gracing her features as she did so.</p><p>        Rin beamed and started humming a tune that (Y/N) assumed was something she had personally made up. After a few minutes of Rin repeating the tune, (Y/N) joined in, having become familiarized with the brown-eyed girl’s pattern and finding amusement in the small, easygoing pass-time. Besides their shared jovial humming, the pair once again fell into an easy silence; Neither finding it necessary to speak and neither wanting to ruin the light-heartedness of the instant. </p><p>        The white-haired Inu-Daiyōkai suddenly stopped, “We’ll be camping here.” </p><p>        “Alright!” Rin cheered, suddenly dashing ahead.</p><p>        (Y/N) watched her running, once again wondering where the black-haired girl kept the plenitude of energy stored in her small figure; (Y/N) felt tired just watching her. The little girl, naturally, arrived at the site before her senior, (Y/N) stopping to tie A-Un’s reins to a nearby tree. Rin tugged on (Y/N)’s (F/C) yukata, nonverbally signaling her preparedness, and they were both off to find something to eat. </p><p>        (Y/N) was not a fan of wandering in the dark. She hadn’t liked the action in her childhood and the fact held true in her teenage years. The smallest of sounds, including the slight snap of twig breaking or a faint rustle in the greenery, instinctively made her stop and look around, before slowly returning to what she was doing before. The teenager sighed yet again at a false alarm, the (E/C) eyed female shifting her attention back towards the shrub before here.</p><p>        (Y/N) was picking a berry that was similar in appearance to a strawberry, but she would time and time again comment on her dislike of the hebi ichigo. The first time she had eaten the small berries, she had been utterly duped by the colorful, juicy appearance. Her first taste consisted of her immediately spitting out the dry, tasteless fruit, followed by feeling regretful of her unnecessary waste of food. She groaned as the memory resurfaced, adding another one of the trickster berries into the gradually growing pile in her hand. Yet food was food, and (Y/N) was in no position to be picky with what nature had to offer.</p><p>        “(Y/N)!” Rin squealed. </p><p>        The older girl immediately jumped in fright, the noise startling her to an extent she was rather embarrassed about. The (H/C) haired teenager took a second to catch her breath and slow her heart rate, before carefully standing to identify the issue Rin was encountering. She knew, from a previous experience the other day, that the girl was, in fact, in good health, but had found something she fancied.</p><p>        “(Y/N)! Come look!” Rin called again. </p><p>        (Y/N) smiled sadly, slightly triumphant at her correct assumption, but somewhat disappointed to be pulled away from her task. </p><p>        “Yes, Rin?” (Y/N) asked, standing behind Rin as she crouched over a little log. </p><p>        “Look! Look!” the child ordered, pointing to a small caterpillar inching along the wood. </p><p>        The seventeen-year-old crouched beside Rin to get a better look at the insect. The caterpillar was light green in color, a reverse saddle pattern of brown and blue adorning the feeler-bedecked creature. (Y/N) couldn’t place it, but she had felt like she had seen or heard about the insect from somewhere; Her mind nagging at her to avoid contact. </p><p>        “I’m gonna pick it up!” Rin stated, her small hands immediately jutting out to touch the creature.</p><p>        “No, don’t!” (Y/N) interjected, her brain finally supplying the name of the deceiving insect. </p><p>        Rin yelled in shock, retracting her hand in pain and scooting away from the little green caterpillar. (Y/N) reacted to the child’s pain, thoughtlessly dropping the berries she had collected and moving the child into an embrace. </p><p>        “That would be denki muchi,” (Y/N) mumbled quietly into the girl’s hair, gently rubbing the girl’s hand as she held her. </p><p>        “What is going on?!” Jaken interrupted, causing both of the females to turn and look at the imp, “You are causing a ruckus!” The male was obviously angered and (Y/N) sighed softly, not really wanting to get a lecture at the moment. </p><p>        “Sorry, Jacken,” (Y/N) apologized, adding, “We just had an unwanted encounter; That’s all.” </p><p>        The green-skinned imp huffed irritably and walked away, (Y/N) watching as he disappeared behind a large bush and, presumably, began trekking back to the make-shift camp. </p><p>        “I’m alright now,” Rin informed, gently releasing herself from (Y/N)’s arms, “It only hurt for a little bit.” </p><p>        (Y/N) nodded and looked at the hebi ichigo chaotically scattered around their bodies. </p><p>        “Well, it could be worse…” (Y/N) stated ruefully, beginning to pick the red, tasteless fruit from the ground. </p><p>        “I’ll help,” Rin declared, joining in the unwanted task of picking up the small berries from the ground. </p><p>        Fortunately, the task didn’t take long. (Y/N) stood and moved to sit against a tree trunk, motioning with her free hand for the child to join her. The brown-eyed girl willingly complied, plopping into the grass beside her senior. Rin started chatting as (Y/N) ate her share of the berries, Rin occasionally popping one in her mouth as she talked; The conversation, understandably, dominated by Rin’s experience with the denki muchi. </p><p>        (Y/N) listened half-heartedly, her mind cautiously trying to keep a constant understanding of their surroundings. Nevertheless, (Y/N) was enjoying the time she shared alone with the black-haired female. The others were nice to be around - for the most part, but there was always the known, but unacknowledged factor of the males’ supernatural heritage. Rin yawned, alerting (Y/N) of the girl’s exhaustion and prompting her to authoritatively decide they needed to get back and get some rest. </p><p>        “Rin, finish up your food and we’ll head back,” (Y/N) said, having long finished her portion of the flavorless berries. Rin hummed and shoved the remainder of the hebi ichigo into her mouth, her nose scrunching as she chewed quickly. (Y/N) chuckled softly at the sight, before she stood up, dusted her yukata, and offered a hand to Rin. The black-haired girl accepted and they both made their way back towards camp. </p><p>        “Took you long enough,” Jaken scolded, his body sitting next to a small, but satisfactory campfire. </p><p>        “Sorry, Master Jaken,” Rin apologized, her cheery tone making the apology seem a little less sincere. </p><p>        (Y/N) yawned and moved to the opposite side of the fire to Jaken, her (E/C) gaze lazily examining the camp in search of the golden-eyed demon lord. The task didn’t take long, as the silver-haired male was leaning against a tree a few feet away from the fire. His eyes were closed, but he appeared as if he could jump into action if the need arose; (Y/N) doubted the Inu-Daiyōkai was even asleep. Her notion proved correct a mere instant later. </p><p>        “Is there something wrong?” the male queried monotonously, his golden eyes opening to return (Y/N)’s gaze. </p><p>        “No, Lord Sesshomaru,” (Y/N) nervously replied, shaking her head and quickly moving her eyes away and back towards the flames. Her face burned in embarrassment, rather frustrated at herself for bothering the silver-haired male. </p><p>        (Y/N) took another deep breath, but was too tired to remain wound up for too long. She scooted a few inches away from the fire and lay down to sleep; Resting her head on her arms. Rin plodded over, curling herself up next to (Y/N) as they did back in the village. The duo soon fell asleep, exhausted by the day's adventures and unaware of the golden eyes that tenderly watched over them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Evil Sword of Kaijinbō</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(Y/N) lungs ached, her feet hurt, and her brain was contemplating her agreement to this fatuous endeavor. Rin was ahead, her pale orange and yellow checkered yukata swaying as she ran, Jaken’s Nintōjō shifting frantically as he ran beside Rin. The (H/C) haired female was a few feet behind, her pride slightly wounded, but her determination forced her to continue at the same pace until the proposed finish line. </p><p>        “I win!” Rin exclaimed, her hands shooting above her head in victory.</p><p>        “I lose!” Jaken mumbled, then in a vague attempt at picking up his pride added, “Fool! This is not a race!” </p><p>        (Y/N) laughed lightly as she stopped behind the shorter pair, “Ah, don’t be a sore loser Jaken. If it helps you any, I was really in last place.” </p><p>        “You impudent woman! It does not!” he cried, earning an even prouder grin from the (E/C) eyed female; Maybe losing wasn’t so bad. </p><p>        (Y/N)’s teasing was suddenly put on hold when Rin pointed out what her seniors had failed to see. </p><p>        “Look!” she cried, unphased by the demon carcass before her.</p><p>        “Just as Lord Sesshomaru said, huh,” (Y/N) mused, observing the demolished body before them. </p><p>        “My goodness, who could have…” Jaken uttered, marveling at the impressive size of the fallen yōkai. </p><p>        “It was Inuyasha,” Sesshomaru calmly supplied, the trio instinctively looking towards the owner of the voice. The male, who had maturely decided to refrain from their race, emerged from the thick fog immersing the area in darkness. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru,” Jaken greeted, timidly watching as the Inu-Daiyōkai approached. </p><p>“Although, I don’t think he got away unscathed either,” Sesshomaru commented passively. </p><p>        The silver-haired male moved forward, gripping the ivory-like horn of the purple-skinned yōkai. He easily lifted the entire head, which had supposedly been removed by Inuyasha, and examined the creature closer. </p><p>        Rin screamed at the sight, (Y/N) gently patting the girl’s black-hair to calm her shock. </p><p>        “Let us go,” Sesshomaru commanded, heaving the yōkai’s head over his fur adorned shoulder and walking past the group into the thick fog once again.</p><p>        “Are you taking that?” Jaken inquired, followed loyally, though admittedly confused by his master’s actions. </p><p>        Rin went on a silly rampage of mocking screaming, (Y/N) trying to silence her, but to no avail. </p><p>        “Silence, Rin. You’re making too much noise,” Sesshomaru scolded lightly.</p><p>        “All right,” Rin acquiesced, her screaming immediately stopping.</p><p>        “Really?” (Y/N) mumbled, not quite mad, but a little frustrated, “That’s all it took?”</p><p>        Rin giggled and dashed after Sesshomaru and Jaken, (Y/N) following soon after. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        Rin was rummaging through some bushes, while (Y/N), a few feet away, was digging up some roots. Lord Sesshomaru and Jaken had departed some time ago, taking the purple-skinned yōkai’s head with them. While the (E/C) eyed female was a little curious as to their whereabouts, with the body-less head traveling with them as an accessory, (Y/N) wasn’t quite sure you wanted to know. Taking advantage of the time left alone, the girls chatted quietly as they foraged for something to satiate their hunger. </p><p>        Sesshomaru and Jaken returned sometime later, discovering that the females had made a comfortable little camp nestled in the woods. Rin was sleeping peacefully, her head resting in her senior’s laps while (Y/N)’s head bobbed in exhaustion. A dying fire dimly lit her face in orange hues and cast dancing shadows against the trees. </p><p>        “Welcome back, Lord Sesshomaru,” (Y/N) greeted, before her fatigue finally took over and she fell asleep. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        The next two days were filled with walking and pointless chatter between the females, throwing out comments about what they saw or what they had heard. Though their conversation pointedly avoided the topic of the demon carcass they had encountered a few days prior. (Y/N) wasn’t sure if Rin had noticed wholly, but the (H/C)-haired female really didn’t want to acknowledge the missing yōkai head or expand on that lack of knowledge; Not particularly wanting to know and not wanting to involuntarily spur a lecture from the temperamental, wide-eyed imp. </p><p>        On the eve of the third night since the yokai head’s disappearance, Sesshomaru and Jaken took their leave. Obediently, the females stayed where they were directed, creating a makeshift camp and hunkering down for the night. The night passed and they spent the following day foraging, though failed to find anything worthwhile. As the sun again inked the sky in astounding hues of red and orange upon its descent, (Y/N) and Rin again returned to their camp. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        “Kaijinbō! It’s been three days!” Jaken announced, walking over to the dismal, rock building. The green-skinned imp pushed aside a dark-furred curtain with the Nintōjō, “Have you forged a sword from the demon’s fangs?” </p><p>        The unsuspecting yōkai had barely made it past the threshold of the door when a beautifully crafted blade - emitting a deadly red aura - slashed downward on the imp’s small structure. He managed to mumble one last startled ‘heh?’ before the fatally sharp blade performed a flawless kesagiri, the imp’s upper body grotesquely sliding off its detached bottom; Collapsing in a heap on the floor.</p><p>        Standing over the destroyed body of Jaken, was a possessed man, his eyes glowing red, known by few as Kaijinbō, the master swordsmith. </p><p>        “It’s done,” he whispered, looking at the blade in wicked awe, “A magnificent demon sword!” </p><p>        With that, the possessed swordsmith ran away, heeding the command of the sword as it spoke telepathically. </p><p>        Sesshomaru arrived at the dreary cottage a few minutes later, silently opening the fur drapery and looking inside. He stepped inside, looking at the mangled body of Jaken with a furrowed, calculating expression. </p><p>        “This must be Kaijinbō’s doing,” he noted, unsheathing Tenseiga. The silver-haired Inu-Daiyōkai narrowed his eyes in concentration, the goblins from hell appearing above Jaken’s lifeless body. The goblins looked towards the sword-wielding male, but not even a moment later were they mercilessly slain in one skilled swoop of Tenseiga. </p><p>        Jaken blinked and closed his mouth, confused by his rediscovered life, “I was slain by Kaijinbō!” The green-skinned imp - still unattached to his lower body - turned to look behind him, noticing the missing lower half an inch or two away. “I knew it!” he cried. </p><p>        “Let’s go, Jaken,” Sesshomaru spoke, making his presence known, “Hurry and put your body back.” Sesshomaru turned his back on the little two-piece imp, sheathing his blade once again. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru!” Jaken cried, “Did you perhaps use Tenseiga to bring me back to life?” </p><p>        “Who else besides me is capable of such a thing?” Sesshomaru asked rhetorically. </p><p>        “No one, Lord Sesshomaru!” Jaken returned, teary-eyed and piecing his body into one again. </p><p>        “Did Kaijinbō finish the sword?” he queried.</p><p>        “Y-yes, he did,” Jaken answered, “Kaijinbō claimed that he had forged the demon sword, but his eyes looked so strange. Like … Like he was possessed by the sword.”  </p><p>        Sesshomaru listened intently, his golden gaze eyeing his servant over his shoulder. The silver-haired male hummed quietly, speculating briefly, “ I see.” </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        (Y/N) reignited the fire, adding a few branches and sprigs of dry grasses to the campfire occasionally. The female stared intently into the fire, Rin sitting behind her casually braiding and unbraiding her (H/C) hair to pass the time. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru is late,” Rin commented, releasing (Y/N)’s hair to peer around the taller female’s shoulder. (Y/N) met her gaze and nodded, returning her attention to the fire. </p><p>        “It’ll be fine,” she replied, “He and Jaken probably got caught up with something dangerous.” </p><p>        The crickets continued to chirp and the fire continued to flicker, but it was only five minutes later that (Y/N) and Rin heard the approach of Jaken, Sesshomaru, and the accompanying A-Un. </p><p>        “That Kaijinbō, where’d he go with that sword?” Jaken pondered, leading A-UN by the reigns. Sesshomaru walked quietly ahead of the yellow-eyed imp. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru!” Rin greeted, standing and joyfully running towards her returning guardian. (Y/N) did the same, though without screaming the demon lord’s name; She figured one would probably suffice for the Inu-Daiyōkai. </p><p>        “Rin, (Y/N), stay put,” Sesshomaru commanded, both females instantaneously heeding his command. The silver-haired male swiftly leaped over the girls and their simple camp, extending his double-striped arm and clawing at a figure that resided in the trees. The two closest trees were sliced beyond repair, crashing to the ground and forcing a black-haired woman in a pink and red patterned kimono to adeptly avoid Sesshomaru’s attack. She committed to a fluid backflip and landed a few feet away. The woman landed elegantly, fan in hand, a few yards away from the armor-wearing Inu-Daiyōkai. </p><p>        “A woman…,” Sesshomaru commented, prompting for Jaken to smell the air in question. </p><p>        “This smell is just like that strange one who approached you with the arm with the Sacred Jewel fragment,” Jaken informed, adding, “The one wearing the baboon hide.” </p><p>        “It’s a scent I remember,” Sesshomaru admitted, “The same scent as the one who tried to trap me, the beast, Naraku.”</p><p>        “Hmm… so you’re Sesshomaru, Inuyasha’s older brother?” Kagura queried, though she was already certain of the answer, “I’m Kagura the Wind Sorceress; Just another incarnation of Naraku.” </p><p>        “Incarnation?”</p><p>        “Yes,” Kagura replied, “And the fangs you gave to Kaijinbō to make the sword were those of a demon named Goshinki. Like me, he was also created out of Naraku.” </p><p>        “So what? Did you come just to tell me that?”</p><p>        Kagura smugly unfolded her fan in a practiced motion, “Don’t you smell it? The sword which reeks with the aura from Goshinki. Tōkijin is so close.” A fierce wind swept through the field, rustling the grass and catching (Y/N) off guard. The (H/C) haired woman lifted her arms to keep her hair out her eyes, watching as Kagura retreated on a feather, drifting along the current of her creation. </p><p>        “What’s with that woman?” Jaken asked, “So arrogant.” </p><p>        (Y/N) would have commented on the irony of his opinion, but kept silent and remained where Sesshomaru had ordered her and Rin to stand. Sesshomaru looked back to see both of his female travel companions devotedly in the same location and position. </p><p>        “(Y/N), Rin, you may move.” </p><p>        Rin smiled, lowering her leg and arms, “O-okay.” Having been in a walking position, (Y/N) needn’t change much, but she looked towards the white-haired demon lord in gratefulness. Rin took a big breath of air and stretched, (Y/N) deciding to do the same and ease her stiff muscles. </p><p>        “Tōkijin,” Sesshomaru mused aloud.  (Y/N) looked at the in thought male, but broke her gaze away when Rin toppled over clumsily. </p><p>        “You’re so strange,” Jaken muttered, (Y/N) rolling her eyes and helping the black-haired girl to her feet. </p><p>        “We’ll be departing again,” Sesshomaru stated, “(Y/N) stay here with Rin. I’ll be back shortly.” </p><p>        (Y/N) nodded and watched as the three yōkai walked away, Rin waving as they again left the two females alone. </p><p>        “Well, Rin,” (Y/N) said, clapping her hands together, “How about we get some sleep?” </p><p>        The black-haired female nodded but didn’t look particularly happy, the idea of sleeping while the Inu-Daiyōkai and his fellow demons were away was not one of pleasure. After the somewhat foreboding encounter, (Y/N) failed to find fault in her trepidation; Afterall, the sentiment was shared.</p><p>        (Y/N) sighed and turned to walk over to the temporary hearth of the campfire, repressing a grimace when she, unhappily, realized she would have to relight the finicky necessity. The female shook her head in displeasure, disposing of her agitation and regaining her usual disposition.</p><p>        “Before we bed for the night,” (Y/N) started, looking over her shoulder to address her younger companion, “Want to help me collect some wood?”</p><p>        “Alright,” Rin cheered, though her voice, understandably, was much quieter than usual. </p><p>        (Y/N) giggled airily and shortly, Rin shuffling to her side as they disappeared into the shadows of the tree canopy. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        The sun was just beginning to arise when (Y/N) awoke. While it was a gut feeling, she suspected Sesshomaru and his yōkai companions were approaching. The (E/C) eyed female blinked, rubbing her hazy eyes and prepared to sit up, but stopped herself quickly. Rin’s head was rested against her stomach, the black-haired girl still blissfully asleep. </p><p>        (Y/N) smiled softly and laid her head back against the ground, staring at the clouds as they slowly drifted overhead. The meadow where they had camped was somewhat chilly, the combined absence of the fire’s warmth and the morning wind sending goosebumps crawling along her skin. </p><p>        Hearing the sound of grass crinkling and the snorts of what she assumed to be A-Un, (Y/N) gently tried to reposition Rin’s body; Trying to place Rin’s head against the ground, rather than on her stomach. Rin groaned in her sleep, reaching out to the nearest being and latching on. When Rin’s arms made contact with her torso, (Y/N) immediately sighed at her failure to detach the sleeping child, certain the little girl would be more difficult to release without waking up now. </p><p>        “Well, at least I’m sitting up now,” she mumbled quietly, looking around for the source of the noise that had originally prompted her. </p><p>        Sesshomaru was approaching, Jaken and A-Un trailing slightly behind their master. The silver-haired male looked as stoic as ever, but appeared to be different in a manner (Y/N) couldn’t quite place. Nevertheless, she smiled and waved at the indifferent Inu-Daiyōkai. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru,” she greeted, slightly bowing her head as he stopped before her, the action finally allowing her to realize what had changed. “Did you get a new sword, Lord Sesshomaru?” she asked, looking up to meet the male’s golden eyes. </p><p>        He nodded in uninterest and looked over his shoulder at the still approaching A-Un and Jaken. </p><p>        “We’ll be heading out,” he stated, his eyes once again traveling to (Y/N)’s, then to the black-haired female latched onto her torso, “Do as you please.” He turned away and continued walking, prompting a soft smile from (Y/N) and more or less forcing her to pick up the sleeping Rin. </p><p>        “Always,” she breathed, holding Rin close and following after the silver-haired Inu-Daiyōkai.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Calm Before the Tempest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(Y/N) yawned, respectfully lifting her free hand to cover her gaping mouth. Her eyelids were heavy and her body was aching from the many hours of walking. Even now, the group was still trekking the untamed terrain. The stars twinkled against the inky black sky, the moon smiling down on the earth below. The (H/C)-haired female looked towards the stars, focusing on the skyscape to keep her senses aware and her eyes focused. </p><p>        There was a slight chill in the air that night, assisted by the breeze that had been running wildly since that sun-kissed morning. (Y/N) eyes trailed from star to star, identifying familiar constellations and racking her brain for the names that stubbornly stuck to the tip of her tongue. The serenity of their travel was abruptly, and grumblingly, interrupted by a powerful gust of wind that sent the grass rustling and the dust flying. </p><p>        (Y/N) pinned her hair down to keep the strands from annoyingly smacking against her eyes or entering her mouth. The wind, just as quickly as it had arrived, began to settle, but the situation was significantly different from what it had been before. </p><p>        Crouched before Sesshomaru and Jaken was a black-haired female. She was pale in complexion and elegant in posture, wearing a charming, but simply patterned kimono; A yellow obi tying the red patterned garment together. Her hair was tied into a neat bun, two white feathers poked into the conjunction between her bun and head. </p><p>        “Yo!” she greeted casually, smirking with red painted lips.</p><p>        Jaken, who had maladroitly fallen over, was easily irritated by her choice of greeting, barking, “‘Yo”?! Why you!” Kagura stood from her lowered position, her posture hinting at a personality of effrontery and sass. </p><p>        “Wind Sorceress Kagura, I recall?” Sesshomaru greeted formally, but his voice was as cold as ever. </p><p>        “I’m glad you remembered me," she countered. </p><p>        Sesshomaru’s eyes narrowed as he reached for the hilt of Tōkijin, unopposed to the concept of dismissing the female through uncounterable force. Kagura, fully aware of his disposition and skill with a blade, raised her closed fan to her face. </p><p>        “Take your hand off your sword,” she coaxed, “I didn’t come here to fight.” Uninterrupted by Sesshomaru or his followers, she continued,” Sesshomaru, I want to make a deal with you.” </p><p>        “A deal?” Sesshomaru repeated, prompting her to continue. </p><p>        Kagura lowered her fan wielding hand and raised the hand that had remained clenched at her side. She inched closer to the white-haired demon lord, and extended her hand to reveal the contents. </p><p>        “You know what these are,” she stated, referring to the objects in hand; And indeed he did. In the palm of her hand were two shards of the Shikon Jewel, sparkling faintly under the glow of the moon and stars. “I’ll give these Sacred Jewel shards to you. In return, kill Naraku.” </p><p>        “What?!” Jaken cried in shocked dubiety. </p><p>        (Y/N) and Rin shared a look of exasperation, before shifting their gaze to Jaken with quirked eyebrows and tilted heads. While they were both somewhat informed of the jewel’s existence and current status, they didn’t particularly care for the smallest details and were rather unphased by the desperate desire to obtain such a mythical object. </p><p>        The other demons ignored Jaken’s surprised commentary, Kagura continuing her negotiations.</p><p>        “Free me from his grip,” she remarked, “You have the power to do it. When you kill Naraku, all the Sacred Jewel shards he has gathered will be yours. Let’s use these shards and have some fun.”</p><p>        “You intend to betray Naraku?” </p><p>        She huffed and looked away in annoyance, “It’s not like I ever wanted to be under his command.” She turned her head to face the Inu-Daiyōkai, “Well, Sesshomaru? I don’t think it’s a bad idea to team up with me.” </p><p>        “Unfortunately, I have no interest in the Sacred Jewel. If you wish to become free, use those shards yourself and destroy Naraku,” Sesshomaru replied.</p><p>        Kagura, irritated by the rejection, stomped her foot and swung her arm to emphasize her point, “Are you afraid of Naraku?” </p><p>        “I’m just saying I’m under no obligation to help you,” Sesshomaru responded coolly. </p><p>        The red-eyed female grimaced, gritting her teeth in frustration; The cogs in her brain working frantically to decide a saving point to her crumbling proposal. </p><p>        “If you don’t have the resolve to go alone, don’t even think about betrayal,” Sesshomaru advised, receiving another angry reaction from the female.</p><p>        “Why you coward!” she exclaimed, her eyebrows furrowed in frustration, “You still call yourself a man?!”</p><p>        Sesshomaru’s companions, who had been watching the interaction with muted interest, gasped dramatically at her claim. Rin going an extra step by bringing her hand to her face and uttering a surprised, “W-What?!” </p><p>        “Hah!” Kagura scoffed, “I misjudged you!” </p><p>        The wind sorceress turned her head to reach for one of the delicate feathers pinned into her hair. She plucked the object from her hair, swinging her arm and summoning another strong gust of wind. The feather she had pulled grew significantly larger, the female riding atop the object as she drifted along the wind of her making. </p><p>        “Fool!” she cursed, glaring at Sesshomaru who remained stationary and unperturbed. </p><p>        (Y/N) watched as the female yōkai disappeared into the night sky, the others participating in similar reactions. </p><p>        “Why, that woman!” Jaken grumbled, falling into another one of his unshared rants, “I wonder if she really intended to make you her protector, Lord Sesshomaru? Talk about gall… the nerve of her! A part of Naraku … that’s all she is!” </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru is so strong!” Rin commented, interrupting Jaken, but with the best of intentions. (Y/N) patted the shorter female’s hair, grateful for her disruption and in full agreement with the response. The (H/C)-haired female nodded her head, adding, “You certainly don’t need the power of the Sacred Jewel.” </p><p>        Sesshomaru turned them out, eyeing where the yōkai had disappeared and considering the contents the discussion had produced. Deciding the matter didn’t particularly matter to him, he turned around and continued walking. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru, leaving already?” Jaken asked, though the answer was apparent to all of them. </p><p>        (Y/N) sighed and tugged on A-Un’s reigns, following after Sesshomaru as he got further ahead. Rin followed her without hesitation, but broke ahead and walked side-by-side with Sesshomaru. Jaken sputtered as he got left behind, rushing to keep up his traveling companions. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru,” Rin greeted and continued without prompting, “With (Y/N) and you, I’m not lonely anymore. But I wonder if she was lonely because she was all alone?” </p><p>        (Y/N), who was only a few feet behind them, considered the black-haired girl’s words carefully. To be truthful, she had not considered Kagura’s situation in such a childlike manner, but the argument made sense in hindsight. </p><p>        Jaken sped past (Y/N) as she walked, the respective female’s eyes widening at the sight. She snickered lightly, finding amusement from his frantic attempts to keep up and gain Sesshomaru’s attention. The green-skinned imp slowed beside Sesshomaru’s opposite side. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru!” he addressed, unnecessarily loud, “What shall we do about dinner?” </p><p>        Having stated her musings, Rin stopped to walk beside (Y/N), grabbing her free hand as the older female caught up. His question perked (Y/N)’s interest more than she would openly like to admit, her eyes examining Sesshomaru’s form in consideration. </p><p>        “We’ll make camp soon,” the Inu-Daiyōkai announced, but otherwise continued walking. </p><p>        The group mumbled, declared, and chirped their understanding and acceptance of his assertion. The group thereafter fell into a comfortable silence as another bout of wind washed over the grass, rustling the spurs like an agitated sea.</p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        (Y/N) was not confident the gods existed, but, currently, she was thanking them fervently for their unexpected kindness. Nestled between a hearth of rocks and surrounded by trees was a small, but comfortably sized hot spring. Steam rose from the water in wisps, the small area of the pond emitting a heat (Y/N) could feel from a few feet away. She smiled widely, looking around her for the foraging form of Rin.</p><p>“Rin!” she whisper-yelled, turning away to locate the wandering child. Her search didn’t take long, the pair naturally keeping a close distance. (Y/N) stopped beside her, the girl curiously looking up from a bug that had caught her interest. </p><p>        “(Y/N)?” she asked, automatically smiling upon noticing the older female’s expression, “What’s going on?”</p><p>        “Rin, I found a hot spring,” she declared, her voice quivering with excitement.         </p><p>        “Really?!” Rin exclaimed, unhesitantly jumping to her feet. </p><p>        (Y/N) nodded and offered her hand to the smaller child, which the black-haired female unquestioningly accepted. The (H/C)-haired female spoke not other word, excitedly leading Rin to the spot she had found.</p><p>        “Wow,” Rin breathed, breaking from (Y/N)’s hand and running over to the edge. She crouched down, dipping her hand into the naturally heated water, and retracted it a moment afterward, “We should take a bath!” </p><p>        “That was obviously my intention,” (Y/N) commented, jokingly rolling her eyes at Rin’s suggestion, “Although, we should probably tell Lord Sesshomaru of our find before we do anything.”</p><p>        Rin nodded and stood upright again, rejoining at (Y/N)’s side as they returned to camp. Their arms and stomachs were empty, but they both grinned uncontrollably. The duo stepped into camp, Jaken greeting snarkily, but inquiring on what they managed to find. </p><p>        “We didn’t find anything edible to eat-,” (Y/N) started, being interrupted by Jaken inserting a chastisement, “-but, we did find a hot spring.” </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru,” Rin called, walking over to the sitting male, “Can we go?” </p><p>        The silver-haired male opened his eyes, gazing at Rin before shifting his attention to (Y/N)’s figure a little ways away, “Do as you please.” He closed his eyes again, not particularly concerned with the actions the females participated in. He had been aware of the hot spring for some time, the faint smell of sulfur having greeted his keen nose as they approached. </p><p>        Rin beamed and rushed towards (Y/N), the duo departing promptly with the knowledge of their proceedings being permitted. With haste, the female pair retraced their steps and again arrived at the welcoming spring. </p><p>        The black-haired female moved forward before (Y/N) could, the child easily discarding her yukata and entering the heated water. Rin sighed, dipping her head back to allow the water to shift around her ears and hair. (Y/N) smiled softly and crouched beside the water to fold the girl’s yukata and place the garment on a nearby rock.  </p><p>        The (H/C)-haired female looked around briefly, then removed her own clothing, folding it, and placing it on the same rock; Just as she had done with Rin’s. The female stepped into the soothing water, enjoying the gentle reprieve it provided. The females enjoyed their time in the spring quietly, the cicadas singing around them and the rustling of leaves mixing in a placidly composed symphony of sound. </p><p>        “Say,” Rin said, breaking the silence. </p><p>        (Y/N) opened her eyes and turned her attention towards the black-haired female, signifying her active listening. </p><p>        “Have you always had that scar?” Rin questioned, referring to a pale streak of flesh that crossed over (Y/N)’s right shoulder blade. The (E/C) eyed female hummed and closed her eyes again. </p><p>        “How did you get it?”</p><p>        (Y/N) laughed quietly, enjoying a memory only she could recall, “It’s from a foolish accident I had as a little girl; I think from when I was about your age.”</p><p>        Rin’s eyes widened, her lips forming a wordless ‘o’. The brown-eyed female couldn’t recall the last time the older female had talked about her life before they had met, one or two brief comments flashing in her mind as she thought of the topic that now plagued her curiosity. </p><p>         “(Y/N), why did you leave your birth village?”</p><p>        “Simply put, famine and an inordinate amount of demons.” </p><p>        “That’s why you started traveling?”</p><p>        (Y/N) nodded, “My brother and I set out to find a village we could move to that would accept us; It took quite a while.”</p><p>        “Your brother?”</p><p>        The (H/C)-haired female met Rin’s gaze, “He died of smallpox a few months before I met you.” </p><p>        Rin frowned and waded closer to the (E/C)-eyed female, securely wrapping her arms around her torso. “I’m sorry,” the girl sadly mumbled. (Y/N) smiled in a melancholy manner, running her fingers through Rin’s wet hair, the little pigtail that was usually her go-to, gone upon Rin’s entry into the spring. </p><p>        “Hey, don’t worry about it too much,” (Y/N) said gently, “We need to focus on the present, right?” Rin released her hold on (Y/N) and nodded softly, a newfound layer of trust emerging in their relationship. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        After a while, (Y/N) decided it was getting late and, for the sake of their health, figured they probably shouldn’t remain in the heated water for much longer. </p><p>        “Come on, Rin,” she prompted, pulling herself out of the water and sitting on one of the smooth, flat stones lining the brim of the spring. Rin whined momentarily but followed after the female. Goosebumps coated their skin as they used the breezy night air to dry, (Y/N) hand squeezing the water out of her hair to assist in the drying process and limit the amount of water trickling down her chest and back. </p><p>        “Rin can you get our clothes?” the (E/C) eyed female requested, the little girl skipping to do as she was asked. (Y/N) smiled and thanked the child, helping Rin put her yukata back on. The girl's senior skillfully tied the plain green obi behind her back to fasten her yellow and orange patterned garment shut. Rin returned the kindness in full, doing the same for the obi that matched (Y/N)’s (F/C) yukata. </p><p>        Rin grabbed (Y/N)’s hand, the females, for the second time that night, unhurriedly returning to the camp Jaken and Sesshomaru had established. They quietly took a place near the center of the camp, neither fond of disturbing Jaken or A-Un. </p><p>        (Y/N)’s eyes briefly flickered to Sesshomaru’s resting form, assuming that the male was not, in fact, sleeping; Still rather embarrassed by being caught staring two weeks prior. The memory alone made her promptly look away, deciding to, instead, settle down for the night. She laid down and turned on her side, effectively hiding her face away from the silver-haired male. Rin, as per usual, cuddled against her, tonight opting to lay back-to-back with her (E/C) eyed senior. </p><p>        Exhausted by the day’s adventures and physically refreshed from her visit to the hot spring, (Y/N) stared groggily at the stars overhead. Her heavy eyelids eventually closing and sending her into a peaceful slumber that enabled her admittance into the ever eventful dream realm.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Jaken's Worth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Filling their days with seemingly endless journeying, the time passed quickly and uneventfully. Four days and three nights later, the group stopped at a rushing river that cut through the landscape and nourished the valley’s life. Rin joyfully jumped into the water, lifting the hem of her yukata to splash around in the cool water with a lessened fear of soaking her clothes. Jaken followed soon after, with the intent of catching the fish the black-haired girl unintentionally scared towards his direction. </p><p>        A-Un settled near his silver-haired master, the latter leaning against a lone tree as he monitored his companions' interactions. (Y/N) stood at the riverbank, gazing upon Jaken and Rin’s antics quietly before deciding to enter herself. She waded through the ankle-deep water, moving around Rin and positioning herself parallel to the child. (Y/N) stared at the clear water, her eyes following the movement of a scattered school of fish as they dashed downstream. </p><p>        “Rin, keep doing that,” she instructed, moving to stand further downstream; Essentially aligning herself with the struggling Jaken. </p><p>        “Okay!” Rin cheered, all too willing to continue in her cheery fun. </p><p>        The disturbed sleek, silver-scaled fish bolted away from the child and towards the awaiting figures of Jaken and (Y/N). Jaken struggled with his short arms and stubby legs, but (Y/N) on the contrary, swiftly snatched one of the gill-bearing creatures from the rushing water. The (E/C)-eyed female lifted her catch victoriously and shuffled through the water to return to the bank, abandoning the still troubled Jaken. </p><p>        The waterless fish flopped desperately in the older female’s grasp, but the female continued with her work in an undisturbed manner. She deftly strung the fish by its gills and padded over to the water to await any further catches.</p><p>        As (Y/N) stood by the shore, she briefly noted Sesshomaru standing and departing from the area. Her (E/C) eyes trailed after his form, concluding that since he had not called for them, he was presumably intent on being alone. She shrugged and returned her attention to her task, her eyes falling on Jaken just as he lifted a fish above his head triumphantly; Ecstatically singing his own praises. (Y/N) and Rin laughed lightly, (Y/N) stringing the fish. The trio followed the same routine: Rin scares the fish, Jaken catches, and (Y/N) strings whatever the shorter pair could manage to catch. </p><p>        A little while later, with the arm length chord bearing as many fish as it could possibly hold, Rin and Jaken finally noticed the Inu-Daiyōkai lack in presence. The duo, ever impatient, hastily led A-Un down the path (Y/N) had indicated; The said female following behind them with her usual pace of leisure. </p><p>        When they met up with the fur-wearing male, Rin proudly displayed the full chord of fish to the male. The latter of the two ignoring her, wholly preoccupied with the events that had unfurled before him during their separation.</p><p>        Soon after, Sesshomaru and Jaken left for some time; Both rather irritated by the looks of the story playing through their eyes. (Y/N) and Rin waved them off as they left and waved to them again as they returned a few days later. The females were unflustered by the demonic duo's unexpected absence, eating the fish they had caught by night and entertaining themselves in the field by day. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        The vagabond group rested for one night upon the demon lord’s return and resumed their travels as the sun greeted the sky. The females, as per usual, snacked on things they could find along the rode, but nothing filled their stomachs quite like the fish they had had five days prior. Another day passed as the moon chased the sun away, the usually pristine appearance of the astral object stained a breathtaking dust-red. </p><p>        (Y/N) and Rin gawked at the beauty of the full red moon overhead and the countless plethora of twinkling stars accompanying the moon in the cloudy blue-black sky. Their innocent wonder was soon interrupted by the ferocious rumble of Rin’s stomach. Rin’s (H/C)-haired companion giggled lightly, but composed herself and looked between Rin and Sesshomaru expectantly.</p><p>        “Rin, (Y/N),” the Inu-Daiyōkai called monotonously. </p><p>        “Yes, Lord Sesshomaru,” Rin answered, effectively working as a response for the both of them. </p><p>        “When you’re hungry, you must find your own food.”</p><p>        “All right!” Rin cheered, grabbing (Y/N)’s hand and running away, “We’re off!” </p><p> </p><p>        Sesshomaru watched as they ran hand-in-hand towards the woods.</p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        “My goodness!” Jaken whined, “Lord Sesshomaru instructed them to find their own food. Then tells me to go help them!” </p><p>        “Master Jaken, how far must we go?” Rin questioned, comfortably riding A-Un sidesaddle style. </p><p>        “How far?!” he repeated angrily, “Until we find food!” </p><p>        (Y/N) hummed softly at his response, but Rin, oblivious, continued with the conversation. </p><p>        “Master Jaken? Just how are you of service to Lord Sesshomaru?”</p><p>        Jaken irritatedly turned on his heel, “W-Whaa! I serve him in many ways!” </p><p>        “Many ways?” (Y/N) questioned, curious to understand what the imp considered service and to get a little teasing done in the meanwhile, “Please, elaborate.”</p><p>        “Yes! For instance…” Jaken started, then trailed off, looking at the red-stained moon positioned in the sky. He stared at it fleetingly before a realization hit and he began to sputter and mumble unintelligibly. </p><p>        “Listen (Y/N), Rin, today you shall witness how I serve Lord Sesshomaru!” </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        In reality, the pair couldn’t watch Jaken’s act of service until the next morning. They had spent the night searching for Inuyasha and his comrades, (Y/N) and Rin picking up a few edible treats along the way to satiate their hunger for the time being. The females watched in skeptical interest as Jaken rushed around in the shadows of the bamboo forest they had arrived at. </p><p>        “Stop dawdling! They’re coming!” Jaken proclaimed, stumbling slightly over his own legs, “Appear, No-Man!” </p><p>        A large arm punched through the ground, followed by the body it belongs to. A faceless, heavy-set man wearing a tattered gray hakama, a brown kosode with frail white patterns, and a sleeveless blue haori stood before the temperamental green imp. </p><p>        “You summoned?” he greeted. </p><p>        “No-Man, Inuyasha and his group are coming.Get close to them and steal Tetsusaiga!” Jaken commanded, adding, “You are a demon borne out of the regrets of Man. You should be able to grasp Tetsusaiga. Now go and steal it!” </p><p>        “Tetsusaiga?” the faceless yōkai inquired, tilting his head in shameless confusion. </p><p>        “The one that Inuyasha treasures so much!”</p><p>        “Is it valuable?” </p><p>        Jaken nodded, “Yes, so go and get it.” </p><p>        Inuyasha’s group continued to play rock-paper-scissors as they traveled, unaware of the plot Jaken had initiated. A heavy smoke befell the group, masking their eyesight and causing them to cough and desperately cover their noses. Under the secrecy of the smoke, No-Man worked away, grabbing what he thought was of value and making the victims exclaim in fright. The smoke wafted away as quickly as it came, Kagome checking her pockets to find that the jar containing the Shikon Jewel shards was now missing. </p><p>        “Oh … he’s late!” Jaken grumbled as he paced, but was surprised when No-Man walked up behind him. </p><p>        “Master Jaken!” No-Man said, reaching into his inner chest pocket, “The treasures!”</p><p>        “Oh! Did you get Tetsusaiga?”</p><p>        Jaken exclaimed crossly at each small item No-Man produced; The items proving to not be the renowned sword of Jaken’s desire. </p><p>        “Fool!” Jaken exclaimed, using his Nintōjō to continuously and aggressively hit the larger yōkai over the head. “I have no need for these!” he continued, proceeding to scrape dirt at No-Man, much like that of a dog or a cat. “You didn’t get Tetsusaiga!”</p><p>        “Tetsusaiga?” No-Man asked again.</p><p>        “Inuyasha’s sword,” Jaken explained, using Nintōjō to get at what would be eye-level with the faceless man. </p><p>        “He had an old, rusty sword,” No-Man stated. </p><p>        “Fool! That’s it!” Jaken chastised, awkwardly falling backward off of Nintōjō not even a moment later.</p><p>        “It didn’t look like a treasure,” No-Man replied, picking up the small nick-nacks he had dropped under Jaken’s ministrations. </p><p>        “What are you saying?! Now go and get it?!” No-Man sighed and clopped off to do as his summoner asked. “He’s so slow,” Jaken mumbled. </p><p>        (Y/N) and Rin appeared around a tree, having silently watched the whole ordeal between the two demons. </p><p>        “Master Jaken, are you sure that demon can handle it?” Rin asked, voicing (Y/N)’s thoughts much in the same. </p><p>        “How I wish I had my henchmen,” the imp grumbled, “Oh, I remember those days…”</p><p>        (Y/N) and Rin shared a look, but patiently listened to his retelling of how he met Lord Sesshomaru and managed to receive the Nintōjō. “Several decades have passed since that day and I have long sought to repay my debt to him.”  he concluded, reaffirming his sense of duty, “I cannot leave this to No-Man!” </p><p>        At that, the green imp stood, picked up the two-headed staff, and ran after where No-Man left.</p><p>        “Master Jaken is so busy,” Rin commented, watching the demon’s retreating form.</p><p>        “No doubt about that.” (Y/N) agreed, stepping into the open, “Come on, Rin, let’s retrieve A-Un.” </p><p>        Rin nodded, a smile ever-present on her lips, as they went to find the reliable dragon yōkai. (Y/N) was helping Rin on top of A-Un and was about to board herself, when she heard Jaken’s voice echo through the woods. Rin tapped her shoulder and pointed to Jaken falling off a cliff face some distance away. </p><p>        “Ah, he's a hopeless one, huh?” (Y/N) commented exasperatedly, climbing into A-Un’s saddle behind Rin, “Well, we better go check on him.” </p><p>        Rin prodded the two-headed demon and he moved into action accordingly, flying towards the struggling Jaken. The green imp had managed to reclimb the cliff face and had reached the precipice when (Y/N) and Rin had arrived. </p><p>        “Does it hurt, Master Jaken?” Rin questioned</p><p>        “Of course!” </p><p>        “Then will you not give up?” (Y/N) inquired.</p><p>        “I will not!” Jaken reiterated, “Move away! (Y/N), Rin, just go away!”</p><p>        “You said you wanted us to watch you in action,” (Y/N) interjected, a smirk finding a place on her lips.</p><p>        “I did not!” Jaken argued, shooing A-Un away. </p><p>        The dragon yōkai submissively did as he was directed, moving away from the angry yellow-eyed imp.</p><p>        “Master Jaken is confusing.” </p><p>        (Y/N) chuckled, “You said it.” </p><p>        “What should we do now?” Rin questioned, looking over her shoulder at the (H/C)-haired female.</p><p>        The (E/C)-eyed teenager temporarily pondered over Rin’s question, “Well, for now, let’s give Jaken some space. Maybe we can find something more substantial to eat, hmm?”  Rin smiled and guided A-Un back to the forest floor. </p><p>        The pair walked for a little bit, Rin slowly building a bouquet of lavender colored wildflowers and (Y/N) picking and sharing what morsels of food she did find.</p><p>        “(Y/N), I’ve gathered enough flowers for Lord Sesshomaru,” she announced, walking towards her senior who was half-heartedly keeping watch a few feet away; Examining the sky as she waited. </p><p>        The sun had set about an hour or two ago, the last soft shades of purple fading into murky dark blues and blacks. A few handfuls of stars had just started to peak out against the darkly hued blanket. There were fewer clouds than the night previous, and the blood moon had receded, but it was still a nice sight to behold. (Y/N) brought her attention back down towards earth, her eyes focusing on Rin as she displayed her finished bouquet. </p><p>        “Very nice, Rin,” the (E/C)-eyed female complimented, “We can head back now if you’re ready.” </p><p>        Rin nodded and grinned, (Y/N) holding her free hand as they walked back to A-Un and boarded the two-headed dragon yōkai again. It was only after walking for a minute or two that Rin mumbled, “(Y/N), err … How do we get back?” </p><p>        (Y/N) looked around and came to the same conclusion, “I’m not sure she admitted. A-UN, do you smell Lord Sesshomaru by any chance?”</p><p>        The two-headed steed moved its heads to sniff the air, but no trace of the Inu-Daiyōkai’s scent reached their noses. The Un shook his head dismally, sharing the information the girls had come to assume. </p><p>        “Oh, I see, “ (Y/N) mumbled.</p><p>        “I guess we have to find Master Jaken,” Rin stated, a sad sigh escaping her lips. </p><p>        “A shame, really,” (Y/N) commented, feeling much like Rin on the matter. </p><p>        A-Un, picking up on Jaken’s distant scent, continued walking as the girls silently rode on the beast’s back. At some point in time, the two-headed dragon took to flight using his aerial skills to the searching trio’s advantage.  </p><p>        (Y/N) and Rin scanned the ground intently in pursuit of the small demon, but the black-haired eight-year-old managed to spot and point him out first. </p><p>        “(Y/N), look!” she said, smiling.</p><p>        Jaken was walking proudly, a thick red garment was tied to the Nintōjō on one end and the other was tied to Tetsusaiga - the weapon dragging behind the imp by about a foot. The yellow-eyed yōkai was talking to himself excitedly, disproportionately proud of his feat. </p><p>        Rin and (Y/N) watched the excited imp, before (Y/N) prompted A-Un to land next to the green-skinned servant. </p><p>        “Huh? Rin? (Y/N)? Why are you two here?” </p><p>        “We’re lost,” (Y/N) stated plainly, Rin nodding behind her. </p><p>        Jaken looked as if he was going to reprimand the duo, but was interrupted by another woman’s voice. </p><p>        “Hold it!” </p><p>        “Oh no!” Jaken shrieked, but seemed to reason on the situation as he looked towards the females, “No, it’s okay. Here, (Y/N), take this and go to Lord Sesshomaru.” </p><p>        “But-,” (Y/N) blurted, but couldn’t say more as the woman who spoke earlier moved into action. </p><p>        “Hiraikotsu!” </p><p>        A large boomerang was speedily moving towards the group, and Jaken paying little heed to (Y/N)’s interjection, immediately wielded the Nintōjō. The fire-spitting head of the old man released a wild wave of flames at the approaching weapon. The orange-red flames repelled the black-haired woman’s attack and she flew to retrieve her deflected weapon. </p><p>        “(Y/N), Rin, go while I hold her off!” Jaken commanded, prodding A-Un with the back of his staff. </p><p>        If they were in less of a compromising situation, (Y/N) would have sighed tiredly and tried again to explain she didn’t know where they were, thus, by default, could not go to Sesshomaru. But, the black-haired woman was closing in on them and thus (Y/N) asked A-Un to stay near, but to remain a good distance away from the fighting. </p><p>        Jaken used the Nintōjō to block the black-haired lady and her nekomata, the latter two screaming as they fell from the sky. From their position, they could see the woman’s traveling companions approach and both girls immediately knew the little green demon would be hopelessly outnumbered and out skilled. </p><p>        “Rin, can you hold this?” (Y/N) asked, passing the Tetsusaiga to the smaller child, “A-Un, we got to help him.” The two-headed dragon heeded her command and swiftly moved back towards the quarreling group. </p><p>        “Return my Tetsusaiga!” a male, who reminded (Y/N) much of Sesshomaru, demanded. </p><p>        “I dunno what you’re talking about!” Jaken replied connivingly. </p><p>        “What?!” Inuyasha barked, not buying into the imp’s weak rebuttal.</p><p>        Rin and (Y/N) were glad they arrived when they did or else Jaken probably would have been pounced upon. A-Un opened his mouths, sparking a shot of brilliant blue lightning towards the gap between Inuyasha's group and Jaken; Efficiently establishing a temporary blockade to prevent Inuyasha’s group from another attack. </p><p>        “Master Jaken!” Rin called. </p><p>        “Rin! (Y/N)! You fools! Why did you come back?” Jaken asked, obviously not as pleased to be assisted. </p><p>        (Y/N) lowered her hand as A-Un descended, landing deftly beside the smaller demon. </p><p>        “Grab on Jaken!” (Y/N) called, leaning over to lift the imp into the saddle.</p><p>        “(Y/N)!” he exclaimed, jumping and grabbing hold of her outreached hand. A-Un immediately started flying, noting the hostile group preparing, and willing, to attack again. </p><p>        “Rin can you help me pull him up,” (Y/N) implored, struggling to use one hand alone to pull the small demon up, while also holding A-Un’s reins so as not to fall. </p><p>        She nodded, discarding the Tetsusaiga and her bouquet of flowers to assist the (H/C)-haired youth. Rin clasped the wrist holding the Nintōjō and heaved the imp up with (Y/N)’s assistance. Rin and Jaken faced each other, while Jaken was back-to-back with the (E/C)-eyed teenager.</p><p>        There was silence amongst the three for a brief second or two as they continued to lengthen the distance between Inuyasha’s group and themselves. Though, like all things involving Jaken, it was immediately broken by a disappointed remark from the green-skinned male.</p><p>        “Rin! (Y/N)! Why did you return?” </p><p>        “You were about to be brutally defeated,” (Y/N) responded, truthfully. </p><p>        “Well, we were worried about you,” the black-haired girl added, giving a more emotional answer than the one prior. (Y/N) quietly nodded her head and hummed her agreement to the statement. </p><p>        Jaken’s eyes widened in surprise, but he sighed tiredly soon after, closing his eyes and falling silent as he contemplated the situation. </p><p>        “Oh yes, where is the Tetsusaiga?” he asked, reopening his yellow orbs. </p><p>        “Huh? Oh!” Rin said, the realization dawning on her as she looked toward the ground. (Y/N) and Jaken did the same, watching as Inuyasha retrieved his sword from the moonlit ground. </p><p>        (Y/N) heard the green-skinned yōkai sputter, then felt his weight press against her back. </p><p>        “Huh? What just happened?” (Y/N) asked, looking over her shoulder at the fainted Jaken. </p><p>        “What’s the matter, Master Jaken?” Rin asked, “Master Jaken! Hey!” </p><p>        Meanwhile, Kagome pondered over the sight she saw. “No one’s noticed,” she concluded, “Sesshomaru is supposed to despise humans. Yet it was two humans who saved Jaken. What’s the meaning of this?’</p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        Jaken had recovered from his initial stupefied trance, and, was now perched atop a smooth rock, mentally complaining about the circumstances of the event. The group had stopped at a melon field they spotted on the way back to the white-haired Inu-Daiyōkai, the females insisting they could gather supplies that could last them for a considerable period of time. </p><p>        “They all look so good,” Rin commented, looking between the fruit excitedly.</p><p>        (Y/N)  nodded and crouched down beside her to get a better look at the melons she spoke of. </p><p>        “Which would you choose, (Y/N)?” Rin asked curiously, poking at one of the fully-developed fruit.</p><p>        “I don’t know yet,” the girl’s senior replied, but she had a good idea of which she would be selecting. </p><p>        “What about you, Master Jaken?”</p><p>        “Whichever! I don’t care!” Jaken replied angrily, not turning around to face the female pair. </p><p>        “Maybe we can take two, or even three,” (Y/N) suggested, and Rin nodded her agreement to the suggestion. Rin pulled one of the fruit from the ground growing vine, breaking into the melon and eating one of the broken pieces. </p><p>        “This is so sweet!” she exclaimed, and looked towards the older (H/C)-haired female, “(Y/N), you try!” </p><p>        (Y/N) accepted the piece she had broken off and took a bite of the morsel, “Oh, you’re right, Rin.” </p><p>        “Master Jaken, you keep watch, okay?” Rin said, looking away from (Y/N) to gaze towards the green-skinned imp. </p><p>        He didn’t reply, nor show he acknowledged the statement, but (Y/N) felt like some agreement had been reached and she smiled at the little demon. </p><p>        A sudden, but forceful, gust of wind catches the small group of three off guard. (Y/N) quickly moves to cover Rin to prevent any debris from hitting the child’s body. The wind subsides for a moment allowing (Y/N) look towards the source of the sudden gush of wind. Her eyes widen in recognition, her (E/C) eyes meeting Kagura’s red ones. </p><p>        Jaken animatedly stood up when the realization clicked, “Huh?! You’re!”</p><p>        The woman stood and smirked, her fan opened and posed elegantly near her face. “Sesshomaru can be so careless,” she noted, “Taking his eyes off of his wards.” She swiftly moves her fan wielding arm, another gust of wind overcoming the group. </p><p>        (Y/N) feels herself being lifted and hears Jaken and Rin yelling, but can’t quite understand what was happening at the moment. There was a pain in the back of her head and she couldn’t focus clearly. Her body was sprawled on what looked and felt like a feather, a melon pinned to her chest by her arm. She blinked, but her eyes did little to clarify the situation. </p><p>        “(Y/N)!”</p><p>        “(Y/N)!” </p><p>        The frantic calls echoed in her ears as the pain in her head increased. Her vision darkened at the edges and became increasingly more obscure. Before she knew it, her vision went blank and she fell into a state of unconsciousness.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Sesshomaru and the Abducted Ward</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sesshomaru stood atop a hill, grass billowing at his ankles like an indignant waterless sea. His long silver hair and mokumoku fluttered behind his form as he looked out over the distance. He narrowed his eyes, his keen sense of smell currently the root of his intrigue. </p><p>        “The smell of the wind has changed,” he mentally noted, but couldn’t ponder over the thought for long.</p><p>        “L-Lord Sesshomaru!” Jaken yelled exhaustedly, Rin trailing behind the green-skinned imp as she also called for the Inu-Daiyōkai. </p><p>        “(Y/N) has been abducted!” Jaken reported, speaking quickly, “One of Naraku’s incarnations, Kagura, appeared, and out of the blue…”.</p><p>        Sesshomaru listened intently as he talked, though his face remained as stoic as it had ever been. He shifted his attention to Rin as she stopped next to Jaken; Her eyes meeting with the taller male's. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru, please save (Y/N)!” Rin pleaded, tears pricking at her brown-eyes and her fists clenching by her sides, “Please save her Lord Sesshomaru!" </p><p>        The demon lord remained silent as he observed the distressed pair, then looked past the two in outwards disinterest. His golden eyes examined the terrain that stretched out behind the imp and small child, the night’s darkness casting sinister shadows and shielding the evils that lurked. </p><p>        “Let me reassure you, Lord Sesshomaru,” a voice pierced through the veil of anonymity, “If you heed my request, I shall return (Y/N) in good health.</p><p>        Sesshomaru turned his body to fully face the unassuming, baboon skin wearing hanyō. A swarm of Saimyōshō were loyally posed next to their master, buzzing and hovering above and beside the fur adorned figure. </p><p>        “Y-you are Naraku!” Jaken stammered, looking at the masked man. Rin fearfully moved behind the imp, though she was comically taller than the yellow-eyed demon. </p><p>        “Naraku, huh?” Sesshomaru asked, visually unphased by the half-demon’s impromptu appearance, “What are you up to now?” </p><p>        “It’s nothing special,” Naraku replied coyly, though the seriousness of his voice remained, “Just kill Inuyasha, that is all.”</p><p>        Silence befell them as a befitting gust of wind shuffled the grass and ruffled the hanyō’s baboon-fur cloak and Sesshomaru’s long hair. </p><p>        Sesshomaru scoffed, a smirk gracing his lips, “All this trouble, just for that?”</p><p>        The demon lord rushed forward, closing the gap the two parties once held. He swiftly beheaded the baboon-wearing man in a flash of red. Sesshomaru stood and watched as the illusion of Naraku crumbled to nothing more than dust and few chunks of rocky dirt. The Saimyōshō, ever unshakable, remained watching the interactions that followed. </p><p>        Rin screamed at the sight of Naraku’s figure crumbling to mere dust, but was rather curious none the same. </p><p>        “H-Huh? What is this?” Jaken asked, looking at the pile of dirt in shock and utter confusion. The green-skinned imp examined the remnants of the fraud Naraku to a closer extent. Askewly positioned in the dirt was a small, humanoid wooden figure. “A demon puppet?” </p><p>        “Did he think I, Sesshomaru, could be manipulated over a mere mortal girl?” the white-haired male said scornfully. </p><p>        “Then Lord Sesshomaru, will you forsake (Y/N)?” Jaken asked timidly. Rin looked at the golden-eyed demon in question, though she was much closer to tears than her shorter senior. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru, please,” the black-haired female prompted. </p><p>        The Inu-Daiyōkai turned on his heel, not bothering to respond to his servant or brown-eyed ward. </p><p>        “Uh, and… Lord Sesshomaru, where are you going?” Jaken asked, quickly increasing his pace to follow behind his master. Rin rubbed her eyes to rid herself of the hot tears brimming at the edge of her eyes and hurriedly jogged to catch up the demonic pair. </p><p>        “Umm...Where are you headed?” Jaken asked again, “Are you perhaps…?” </p><p>        Rin followed behind the servant and white-haired lord, holding faith that he would be able to save what family she had left. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        (Y/N) groggily opened her eyes, candlelight easing her vision into awareness. She gasped and blinked, her recollection of the events that preceded shocking her into full consciousness.</p><p>        “Oh, right, I was taken by that Kagura lady,” she thought, adding a thoughtful, “I was kidnapped.” </p><p>        The (E/C)-eyed female sat up, looking around the room in which she was held. There was a melon, presumably the one she had unconsciously gripped, sitting near her side; Damaged, but not significantly. </p><p>        “Where am I?” she questioned aloud. She tensed as she noticed, the shadow of a figure in her peripheral line of sight. She looked over her shoulder to get a better look at the figure, but prudently opted to stay where she was for the time being.</p><p>        A boy, maybe a year or two older than Rin, stared blankly at the fusuma that led outside. He wore a sleeveless, blue yukata and his ankles and wrists were wrapped with white cloth. The boy’s black-hair was pulled into a sloppy ponytail, his bangs covering his forehead and some of his eyes. A kusarigama was lying at arm’s length near his feet, the chain falling somewhere on the other side of his body. </p><p>        “Who are you?” (Y/N) asked inquisitively, eyeing the male from her settled position.</p><p>        There was a thumping against the fusuma and (Y/N)’s eyes traveled to it. She took a deep breath and stood up, quietly walking over the wooden flooring to see what was causing the commotion at the door. At her action, the brown-eyed boy suddenly seemed to come to life. </p><p>        “Don’t go outside!” he warned. </p><p>        “I have to go,” (Y/N) replied steadily, sliding the fusuma open, but didn’t manage to proceed any further.</p><p>        Outside yōkai were swarming around the old structure. Some flew near the door, others rested upon the ground, while the remainder scrambled on hundreds of legs across the thick grass. There were orbs of blue light scattered sporadically through the air and (Y/N) didn’t particularly care to find out. Suddenly, and quite terrifyingly, a yōkai - taking notice of the vulnerable teenager - rushed towards the opened fusuma.</p><p>        She yelped and quickly closed the door, standing there for a moment to calm down and properly lower the rate of her panicked heart. (Y/N) took a deep breath and breathed out a moment later, the (E/C)-eyed youth then proceeded to move away from the entryway, creating a greater distance between herself and the threat of danger. </p><p>        (Y/N) looked towards the boy, and figuring she had nothing else to lose, took a seat beside the younger male. The teenager leaned her head against the wood of the wall, closing her eyes as she tried to think of the situation rationally. </p><p>        The black-haired boy looked at the (H/C)-haired female he was charged to guard. “Understand now? If you go out, they’ll tear you apart,” the male stated, though he sounded rather sympathetic towards his captured senior. </p><p>        “Were you kidnapped too?” (Y/N) asked, opening her eyes and tilting her head to better look at the freckled pre-teen. </p><p>        “I’m guarding you,” he responded bluntly.</p><p>        “Oh,” she sighed, “I see.” </p><p>        (Y/N) closed her eyes again, a new and uncomfortable silence falling over the teenager and her junior. The sound of the candle burning and the yōkai prowling outside was weighing on her already taut nerves, thus she decided to once again speak to her guard. </p><p>        “What’s your name?” she queried.</p><p>        “I’m Kohaku,” he replied, and (Y/N) nodded. </p><p>        “I’m (Y/N),” she introduced, “Say, do you like melon?”</p><p>        Kohaku could only stare in befuddlement as (Y/N) cheekily smiled. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Rin trudged along a grass loaded field, the latter two walking silently behind their master and guardian. Jaken, realizing Sesshomaru’s intentions, swiftly moved to walk alongside the Inu-Daiyōkai. Rin mimicked his action, though she went to Sesshomaru’s other side. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru, what are your plans?” Jaken inquired. </p><p>        Sesshomaru kept his attention forward and failed to respond to his green-skinned servant. They continued to walk, until just a little ways further, the silver-haired male stopped abruptly; Confusing both of his tagalongs. </p><p>        “Huh? What’s the matter?” </p><p>        “It’s Naraku’s castle,” he declared blandly.</p><p>        “Huh?” Jaken and Rin voiced in unison. </p><p>        “Well now…” Jaken added, scratching his hairless head as he looked around for what his master had just announced, “I don’t see a castle.” </p><p>        Sesshomaru continued to look intently forward, but spoke nonetheless, “Rin, move away from here and stay put.” Rin nodded and dutifully ran back to the forest to find some cover and keep herself hidden; Her movements only audible from her breathing and the rustling of the long grass. </p><p>        Sesshomaru continued to stand where he had stopped, refusing to break eye contact or look anything other than composed. A few moments after Rin’s departure, Naraku’s barrier began to waver and shift, shocking Jaken, as he was suddenly able to see what his master could sense all along. </p><p>        “The barrier opened up!” remarked Jaken, holding his two-headed staff closer to his body.</p><p>        Sesshomaru pushed through the opening and continued to move forward, his long hair swaying elegantly behind him as he walked.</p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru!” Jaken exclaimed, quickly resuming his previous pace to keep up with the taller demon. </p><p>        A stronghold lay sprawled before them; Large stone walls were accented by large and ornate Japanese style buildings. The air within the castle was thick with miasma and fog, shrouding the area in the tensity of foreboding danger and the presence of foul intentions.</p><p>        “Oh, please wait!” Jaken implored, hopping a little closer to the golden-eyed demon lord.</p><p>        “So you purposely leaked your scent and revealed your location, inviting me into this castle.” Sesshomaru commented in monotone, though seemingly aiming his observations towards the presence of mere air. Vivid blue fires immediately sprang forth from two torches positioned on either side of a short staircase. </p><p>        “Well, would you have come otherwise?” Naraku inquired, making himself visible atop the staircase. He was sitting behind a horizontal noren and, like before, he wore a white-furred baboon as his choice of overcoat. The lifeless head of the baboon covered the top half of the man’s face; His moving lips the only indication of the man speaking. </p><p>        “There he is!” Jaken shrieked, sweat trickling down his frog-like features.</p><p>        “Although, the woman you seek is not here. Inside this miasma, she would not be able to breathe at all. (Y/N) is under my protection outside the castle walls. You may rest assured for now.” </p><p>        “Naraku, you should know that I am not here to save (Y/N),” the stoic Inu-Daiyōkai replied.</p><p>        “Huh?!” Jaken gasped from beside Sesshomaru, blinking in surprise. </p><p>        “Oh indeed. You do not seem to appreciate being told what to do,” Naraku observed, “You did not come to kill Inuyasha as ordered, nor did you come to look for the girl. You’ve come to kill me, I know that.” </p><p>        Sesshomaru smirked, “You talk as if you think you’ve lured me into a trap. I’ll ask you why later…”. The male lifted his right hand, posing himself for battle, “If you remain alive.” Sesshomaru cracked his knuckles, his claws clicking together as the digits were bent towards each other, then he lowered his arm back towards his side in preparation to draw his blade.  </p><p>        Naraku chuckled coldly, utterly unphased by Sesshomaru’s grandeur threat, “Lord Sesshomaru, you did me the honor of coming here. I will gladly take you on.” </p><p>        No sooner had he proclaimed his acceptance of Sesshomaru’s challenge, thorny raptoriales grew from the hanyō’s back. His transformation only continued to develop from there. Long trunk-like tentacles sprouted from his lower body, the fur cloak he adorned ripping and falling abandoned under the pressure of conversion. His arms elongated and became less like hands and more like pinchers. Naraku’s height had more than doubled and his appearance had become exponentially more foreboding, yet Sesshomaru had yet to move from his spot. </p><p>        “Hmph! A collection of rejected demons.” Sesshomaru noted in derision, “Naraku, is that your true form?” </p><p>        “True form?” Naraku repeated arrogantly, “No, this is only the beginning.” </p><p>        A moment after Naraku’s declaration, one of the spiky raptoriales shot towards the awaiting Inu-Daiyōkai. Sesshomaru calmly jumped away, but Jaken screamed in terror as the dust became unsettled and debris flew dangerously through the courtyard. Jaken was thrown backward, but he quickly stood upright and bolted for cover behind a wooden column.</p><p>        Sesshomaru landed again, “So… you want my life?”</p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        Kohaku and (Y/N) pleasantly ate melon; (Y/N) waiting and Kohaku passively guarding. </p><p>        “It’s sweet,” Kohaku commented, finishing his piece. </p><p>        “Do you want another?” (Y/N) asked, satisfied that she had managed to get the younger boy to be a little less wary. </p><p>        Over the brief time that they had been interacting, the seventeen-year-old had learned a little more about the boy. He had lost his memory and was now serving under Naraku - a powerful demon, according to Kohaku - and was also the cause of her capture. </p><p>        Kohaku’s eyes widened momentarily, not quite certain of the female’s unjustified kindness, “Huh? Uh, yeah…,” he replied. </p><p>        (Y/N) smiled softly and handed Kohaku the last piece of the greenish-blue melon, “Here.” He returned the soft smile and accepted the piece of fruit, taking a bite and again eating quietly. </p><p>        “You don’t remember anything, Kohaku?” the (E/C)-eyed youth inquired, taking another bite of her melon portion. </p><p>        “No,” he replied, turning away from the older female, opting to look at the bland wall.</p><p>        (Y/N) noted the touchiness of the subject and simply sighed, remarking, “I didn’t realize such a thing could occur.” But his hesitancy to try and remember what he had forgotten bothered the (H/C)-haired female. Silence enveloped them again, the pair eating the last few morsels of the melon together. </p><p>        “There are things you don’t want to remember,” (Y/N) replied obscurely, breaking the silence and gaining Kohaku’s attention, “And that’s fine, but you shouldn’t avoid them, Kohaku. Your truth lies in your past.” </p><p>        (Y/N) took another bite of her melon slice and went silent again, contemplatively chewing the fruit and being somewhat worried she had overstepped the boundary of their budding relationship. </p><p>        In the silence, the sudden change in the yōkai’s demeanor startled both (Y/N) and Kohaku. The younger boy immediately jumped into action, grabbing the handle of the kusarigama in one hand and the adjoined chain in the other. (Y/N) stood, quietly rushing over to the single candle in the room and blowing it out. Kohaku nodded gratefully and crept to the entryway. He gently pushed one end of the fusuma aside, peering through the crack he had created. </p><p>        (Y/N) stood behind the younger boy, peering through the break to examine the cause of the disturbance. A group of humans and two demons were approaching the building; (Y/N) recognizing them to be the individuals that traveled with Inuyasha. Kohaku flinched and gasped, catching (Y/N)’s eye, but not warranting the need to speak at the moment. A few seconds later the boy began to painfully clutch at his head. (Y/N) tensed, momentarily panicking over what to do, but eventually opted to put a comforting hand against his shoulder and grimaced at her inability to do something to ease the boy’s influx of pain. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        Sesshomaru gracefully drew his sword, Tōkijin, and braced for an attack dished by Naraku. The black-haired hanyō chuckled, a surge of his trunk-like tentacles moving rapidly towards the golden-eyed demon lord. As they approached, Sesshomaru deftly slashed with mighty sword, instantaneously destroying the flesh without physically touching Naraku’s limbs. </p><p>        “Naraku … such a lowly demon,” Sesshomaru spoke, undisturbed by Naraku’s bombarding attack, “The likes of you will never lay a hand on me.” </p><p>        Naraku chuckled again, the flesh Sesshomaru slashed prior wriggling on the ground and rejoining when they come in contact. A considerably sized chunk of the reformed flesh wormed over to Sesshomaru, gripping his leg. The white-haired demon’s eyes widen momentarily, a soft grunt of distaste escaping his lips.</p><p>        Naraku, using Sesshomaru’s temporary surprise to his advantage, sends more of his appendages forward. Sesshomaru responded quickly, another forceful non-contact slash from Tōkijin freeing himself from Naraku’s grasp and eliminating the new wave of writhing tentacles.</p><p>        Released from the grotesque appendage, the golden-eyed male jumps into the air, but is met again with more of Naraku’s octopus-like appendages. He deals with the gripping flesh accordingly and lands again, the destroyed appendages falling haphazardly along the ground.  </p><p>        “How long do you intend to keep up this farce?” Sesshomaru questioned, but was met with another chuckle from Naraku. The two remained in a tense stand-off, but suddenly a look of annoyed surprise crossed Naraku’s face. </p><p>        “Who is it? Someone is breaking through my barrier!” he thought. The male shifts his body, his eyes locating Kagura - who had been watching the fight from the sidelines with enraptured interest. “Kagura, go!” </p><p>        “An unexpected guest, Naraku?” Sesshomaru taunts, “Too bad for him, coming to visit you ... only to see you dead.” The demon lord raises his sword and slashes towards the main bulk of Naraku’s body, a streak of blue travels across the ground, destroying a large portion of the hanyō’s monstrous body. </p><p>        Despite the significant damage, Naraku smirked. “Just a little more…, “ the black-haired half-demon thought expectantly, “And, soon you will be absorbed … and become one with my flesh!” The hanyō’s eerie laughter echoes throughout the castle, breaking the brief moment of silence the scene held.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Naraku Disappears</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Naraku, you seem preoccupied with what’s beyond the castle walls,” Sesshomaru noted. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru, I no longer have time to dally with you,” Naraku admitted, the discarded lumps of flesh squirming repulsively, “Your power… Every bit of your demon power…. Shall be wholly consumed by me!” </p><p>        On cue, Naraku’s abandoned flesh converged on the golden-eyed demon. The rebuilt appendages tightly wrapped around the man’s legs, torso and arm, thoroughly limiting the demon lord’s range of motion. A slight frown and look of vexation appeared on the male’s face, watching as more of the dark, green-blue flesh wrapped around his body. The flesh pulsated and squirmed, eventually reaching the Inu-Daiyōkai’s shoulders, until - in a matter of minutes - Sesshomaru was enveloped whole; Not a single hair visible under the blob of resonant flesh. </p><p>        “This can’t be happening!” Jaken disbelievingly screamed, “Lord Sesshomaru has been…”.</p><p>        The capsule of sentient flesh began to physically smoothen and seem more slime-like in appearance. A harmonious heartbeat echoed through the courtyard of the old castle as it pounded and throbbed steadily. Naraku chuckled, pleased by his lofty achievement of ensnaring the fabled demon lord, issuing a dozen or so tentacles towards the blob containing Sesshomaru. The appendages conjoined with Sesshomaru’s mode of imprisonment, effectively serving as a tube to absorb the silver-haired demon’s power.</p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru…” Jaken uttered worriedly, watching the scene unfold, but fully aware of his insignificance in the matter. </p><p>        “I’ve finally obtained the powers of a full-fledged demon!” Naraku declared proudly, though his arrogance was short-lived.</p><p>        “Naraku!” Inuyasha yelled, his Tetsusaiga transformed and lifted over his head in pose for an attack, “Is that your true form?!”</p><p>        “Inuyasha!” </p><p>        Inuyasha, never one for small talk or negotiating, initiated his attack: “Take this! Wind Scar!” Without a second’s delay, a powerful force was emitted by the hanyō’s demon sword. The concentrated energy dispersed into three claw-like marks, rapidly moving towards Naraku before Inuyasha had even landed. </p><p>        “ I think not!” Naraku countered, forming a semi-translucent, purple-hued barrier. </p><p>        The Wind Scar struggled against Naraku’s formidable barrier, but ultimately broke through and overwhelmed the previously self-assured black-haired hanyō. The three streaks of power cut Naraku’s monstrous body, scattering his demonic flesh chaotically throughout the clearing and leaving nothing but the red-eyed male’s more human-like torso and upper body. Despite the significant damage, Naraku’s damaged flesh rejoined, reconstructing his body to it’s previous stature in a small window of time .</p><p>        “I’ve found you, Naraku!” Inuyasha announced, “And, today, I shall kill you!”</p><p>        “Hmph! Don’t make me laugh!” Naraku said, a furious scowl dawning on his face, “Kill me, you say? </p><p>        The battling hanyōs went into a standoff, neither moving, but both frenziedly thinking. As thunder shattered the clouded sky and the thick miasma swirled through the disturbed air, Naraku began to laugh maliciously. </p><p>        “Inuyasha!” the red-eyed male remarked, “So you’re capable of breaking through my barrier.” </p><p>        “Naraku, you bastard!” Inuyash snarled, “You won’t get away this time! Prepare to die!” Following his proclamation, he swung his sword over his shoulder and fiercely ran towards his equally cocky opponent. </p><p>        “Hmph! You seem to have become a bit stronger, but you’re still no match for me.” Naraku boasted, unperturbed by Inuyasha’s approaching form and foreboding sword. The monstrous foe forwarded a barrage of tentacles intent on attacking the dog-eared hanyō.</p><p>        “Take that!” </p><p>        Inuyasha smoothly avoided the attack, dashing about and eventually jumping to both avoid and launch his own attack. </p><p>        “No problem!” Inuyasha replied, lifting his sword behind his head and vigorously bringing the blad upon the approaching appendages. The white-haired male destroyed the limbs in one blow, chunks of the destroyed flesh falling as he landed -  once again - on the ground. </p><p>        “I’m not done yet!” Naraku gloated, another wave of dark, blue-green tentacles attacking Inuyasha on all fronts. The male dodged the attacks by taking to the air, commencing another attack. </p><p>        “Why you…!” he grumbled. </p><p>        Inuyasha slashed again, destroying more of the appendages and taking the moment of weakness to immediately initiate a second assault.</p><p>        “Naraku!” Inuyasha yelled, his sword producing another burst of powerful energy as he swung. The demonic energy was efficient and secured his means of approach. </p><p>        The white-haired hanyō began approaching, sword posed fixedly over his shoulder as he prepared to attack for the third time in a row; Yet, much like in the case of Sesshomaru, was brought to an immediate stop. The thick tentacles seized his legs and securely tied his arms to his sides, bounding the male in place and limiting his movement substantially. </p><p>        “W-what?!” Inuyasha cried, struggling against the tightening of the flesh, “What’s this?”</p><p>        “I’ll engulf you, just like I did Sesshomaru.” </p><p>        “W-what?!” Inuyasha repeated, gritting his teeth, the name of his half-brother momentarily catching his attention, “Sesshomaru?” </p><p>        “You’re too late, Inuyasha. Sesshomaru is already part of my flesh. I don’t know what good your half-demon power will do… But, I’ll absorb you into me as well.” </p><p>        “Don’t put me in the same class as that Sesshomaru!” Inuyasha argued indignantly, miraculously managing to move his arm enough to swing his blade and cut himself out of Naraku’s hold. </p><p>        “Wha…,” Naraku sputtered, abashed by Inuyasha's diligence yet again.</p><p>        “This is it! No mercy!” Inuyasha yelled, his sword over his shoulder and his form rapidly approaching Naraku. “Take this!” In a swift movement, the hanyō lifted his arm over his head and crashed Tetsusaiga into the ground, incurring another Wind Scar. </p><p>        “What?!” </p><p>        The Wind Scar again made contact with Naraku’s body, the three strikes cutting through his body and irreparably ravaging the ground and surrounding structures. There was a beat of silence and an emerging feeling of suspense, the dust settling and covering everything in a thick coating of grime. A minute or two after Inuyasha’s attack, a blue light pierced the fleshy cocoon Sesshomaru was captured in and ruptured the accursed silence. The golden-eyed demon lord, unharmed and still outwardly composed, emerged from the blob of fleshy appendages. </p><p>        “Huh?! … Sesshomaru!” Jaken yelled, a flash of happiness forming on his tear-stained face, “Lord Sesshomaru!”</p><p>        Sesshomaru steps out, a smirk enveloping his lips as he examines his opponent, “Naraku...Such irony, that the flesh which bound me would shield me against Inuyasha’s Wind Scar.” </p><p>        “Move! Naraku’s mine!” Inuyasha demanded, running towards his older brother. </p><p>        “No, he is my prey.”</p><p>        “Hah! Quit joking!” </p><p>        Their brief sibling argument was put on hold as the ground began to rumble vehemently, both of the brothers falling silent as they watched as Naraku moved. </p><p>        “I shall absorb the both of you!”</p><p>        “What?!” </p><p>        Naraku burst into a patronizing laugh, sadistically enjoying the fight of his invention and the shock of the youngest brother. He quieted his laughter only to exclaim a domineering: “Die!”</p><p>        The red-eyed hanyō launched another barrage of fleshy-tentacles, cunningly controlling the many limbs to attack the silver-haired brothers; Both shrewdly avoided the attack by jumping away and monopolizing the area they were pushed to. Inuyasha remained on foot, dashing under and around the attacks, while Sesshomaru calmly avoided the attacks in midair. Naraku, despite being consistently dodged, still continued to chuckle arrogantly, the sound acting as the background tune to the breaking ground and falling debris.</p><p>        “You won’t be able to escape my attacks forever.” </p><p>        “You’re one persistent bastard!” Inuyasha snarled, dodging four of the repugnant limbs only to agilely swivel, destroying them in a streak of brilliant yellow light.</p><p>        Sesshomaru fought quietly, using Tōkijin to eliminate a large cluster of the approaching appendages in a blaze of blue light. They continued the brawl as Naraku’s fleshy tentacles continued, but the fight quickly took a turn when Inuyasha was able to break away. </p><p>        “Take this and … die!” Inuyasha yelled, the Wind Scar dashing along the ground and hitting it’s intended mark. The humanoid upper half Naraku’s body fell, landing on his own abandoned body with a grunt of pain. </p><p>        “Finishing blow!” </p><p>        “I said he’s mine!” Sesshomaru interjected, appearing beside Inuyasha as he approached. </p><p>        “What?!” </p><p>        Sesshomaru lifted his arm and brought it back down, Tōkijin releasing a blow of concentrated power onto Naraku’s already damaged form. The black-haired hanyō again grunted in pain, the two consecutive attacks forcing the man to release a heavy cloud of black miasma and retreat. A swarm of Saimyōshō arose from the miasma as a whirlwind of the poisonous air developed and began to disappear. </p><p>        Sesshomaru watched this occur, his brow furrowing in annoyance. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru. I shall retreat tonight,” Naraku declared confidently from the whirlwind of miasma. </p><p>        The silver-haired Inu-Daiyōkai emitted a murderous red energy. His silver hair and mokumoku swaying under the energy’s influence. Sesshomaru scowled, his sclera turning a burning red and the magenta stripes accented his cheeks becoming more prominent in size. </p><p>        “Fool!” the transforming male growled, “Don’t think you can escape from me!”</p><p>        Naraku chuckled at Sesshomaru’s proclamation and obvious anger, taunting: “Lord Sesshomaru...instead of transforming and coming after me… you should hurry to your woman companion.” </p><p>        Sesshomaru swallowed immediately and responded to the warning, his demonic energy promptly being reabsorbed and the effects of his transformation reverting. He scowled, silently reprimanding himself for forgetting (Y/N)’s kidnapping and falling into the elaborate trap of the much detested. </p><p>        “(Y/N) is currently with the one name Kohaku,” Naraku continued, “ Inuyasha, you should know what that means.” With his diversion set, his black whirlwind of miasma dispersed into the miasma plagued sky, the Saimyōshō flying off into the night. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        “Kohaku?” (Y/N) prompted, noting the difference in the younger boy’s demeanor, “What’s the matter?”</p><p>        “Kohaku?” the (E/C)-eyed female repeated, watching as he unnaturally turned to face his senior. In his doing so, (Y/N) got a better look at the younger boy’s face, nothing physically amiss beside his pupilless eyes. The older female remained silent, staring the boy down in concern and slight cautiousness, but failing to find anything in her mental data bank of information to even remotely assist in her comprehension of what was occurring before her. </p><p>        The male moved forward, assertively grabbing the older female’s hand and half-leading, half-dragging her to a door in the back of the structure. Awaiting them was dragon-yōkai, to which the black-haired male forced the female onboard, grabbing hold of the reins and boarding himself thereafter. The abnormal Kohaku prompted the beast and they began to fly off without delay. </p><p>        Somewhere along the way, the almost-soulless Kohaku landed the dragon-yōkai. He motioned for (Y/N) to climb down, then forcefully retook his hand in hers. Without a moment of hesitancy or justification, they began walking again. (Y/N) had a nagging feeling in the back of her head and was tempted to run away from the child, but the tight hold on her hand and the glistening moonlit weapon in his opposite hand shut the idea down quickly. </p><p>        Reasoning on the hope that the unresponsive Kohaku remembered her, (Y/N) began to speak to the freckled pre-teen with the full intent of trying to squeeze a viable response from the lad. </p><p>        “Why did we retreat, Kohaku?” (Y/N) questioned, adding: “There were people outside.” </p><p>        He didn’t respond to her questions, keeping his attention forward and walking without acknowledging the presence of the (H/C)-haired female. </p><p>        “Kohaku, where are we going?” (Y/N) tried again, but again received no response. </p><p>        “He’s probably under a trance of some sort,” the teen mentally reasoned, “There has to be something that could break him from it…”. </p><p>        They continued walking silently for a few minutes, (Y/N) purposefully stumbling and dragging her feet to slow their imminent arrival at the undisclosed destination. All the while, the (E/C)-eyed female was caught in her thoughts as she tried to produce the reason behind, and the accompanying solution to the boy’s predicament. What abruptly shocked her from her thoughts was the sudden stop Kohaku performed. The duo was near the center of a grassy field, the forest snugly surrounding the meadow on all sides. The leaves rustled in the trees and the grass shook forebodingly as an ominous wind passed through the clearing. </p><p>        (Y/N) felt a shiver run down her spine, prompting her to gently remove her hand from the freckled eleven-year-old’s grasp. The boy turned uncannily, raising his kusarigama to strike. In a flash of pure instinct, (Y/N) wisely stepped back as Kohaku brought his blade down. He repeated the same action and again (Y/N) retreated, though her own momentum led to her downfall. </p><p>        She fell and winced, but immediately stood again. Her adrenaline was pumping, her eyes fearfully focused, and could only stay put as her mind screamed at her to flee. The reason for stubbornly staying?  (Y/N) couldn’t quite bring herself to abandon the suffering boy.</p><p>        (Y/N) raised her hands as if calming an aggressive dog, “K-Kohaku, it’s me, (Y/N).” </p><p>        The black-haired male paid little heed to her attempts at peace-mongering, the male raising his arm to again slash at the older female with his kusarigama. He moved swiftly, the blade narrowly missing (Y/N)’s cheek, instead shearing a lock of her (H/C)-hair off. </p><p>        The female, much too close to death for her taste, rode her emotional want to help the younger child and began sprinting through the long grass. Her yukata made the action difficult, her feet almost tripping over the fabric numerous times, but she kept moving. (Y/N), however, only managed to make it to the other side of the clearing before she was stopped again. </p><p>        A cold, metal chain wrapped around her feet, yanking them out from under her and, for the second time, her own momentum worked against her body. She fell fortuitously, her forearms prevented her head from making a nasty connection with the hard-packed earth. </p><p>        The chain tugged at her ankles and rattled as Kohaku got closer, prompting (Y/N) to sit up and reach towards the wrapping of the chain. She was, however, thoroughly tangled in the kusarigama’s chain and she was utterly incapable of getting out of the metal’s hold in the sparse time gap she was given.</p><p>        “Kohaku!” (Y/N) cried, “Please, tell me what’s wrong!” </p><p>        Again, she was met with silence, but the freckled boy seemed to momentarily hesitate. </p><p>        “Kohaku!” (Y/N) repeated, hoping to buy herself some more time. </p><p>        Her plea, unfortunately, failed to stop the younger boy from continuing with his undesired objective. He forcefully pushed her body down, her skull cracking against the ground like it would have done a few short seconds prior. Her eyes became unfocused, black blobs covering her vision as she began struggling again. Kohaku raised his kusarigama, but was stopped by the presence of another being. </p><p>        A mere few feet away stood Sesshomaru. He gazed upon the entranced youth coldly, not pleased to arrive and find the male looming over the almost unconscious body of his (H/C)-haired ward. Kohaku turned away from (Y/N)’s body, facing Sesshomaru with his body and blade posed for a fight. </p><p>        “So… you turn your blade towards me now?” Sesshomaru questioned, raising a double-striped arm and flexing his hand.  </p><p>        Kohaku shifted again, but still under Naraku’s control, was unable to respond verbally. Nevertheless, the scene that was destined to become a tragedy was favorably interrupted by a male’s call.</p><p>        “Kohaku!” </p><p>        The freckled eleven-year-old had little time to respond, Inuyasha’s fist connecting with his jaw and sending him flying a few feet from his original standing place. The younger male grunted as he hit the ground, but instantly returned to his feet. </p><p>        “What’re you doing, fool?!” Inuyasha reprimanded. </p><p>        Sesshomaru watched the interaction for a short moment, but his gaze was soon drawn to the gasping approach of a black-haired female. She wore abnormal clothing for the time period as she dressed in a green-accented seifuku and a pleated skirt of the same dark green hue. The grass scraped against her calve-high socks and brown penny loafers. </p><p>        Kagome crouched beside the unconscious body of (Y/N), gently cradling her neck and lifting her upper body. “She’s all right,” Kagome reported, “She just fainted.” </p><p>        Sesshomaru wouldn’t admit or properly acknowledge it, but he felt a rush of relief swarm his usually detached emotions. (Y/N) and Rin, though human, had grown on him and he was now intolerable of the thought of either of them being injured. </p><p>        “You heard her, Sesshomaru,” Inuyasha added demandingly, “So don’t lay a hand on Kohaku.”</p><p>        “It’s useless, Inuyasha,” Sesshomaru replied, monotonous, though he still had a look of frustration adorning his facial features, “Even if you intervene, that boy seems compelled to die by my hands.” </p><p> </p><p>        Sesshomaru’s observation was accurate to an extent, the mind-controlled boy getting to his feet and falling into a stance that mimicked the one he held before being punched. The freckled youth threw the blade of the kusarigama, but it was deflected by a quick-thinking Inuyasha, whom had moved into the blade’s line of attack and halted the throw by drawing Tetsusaiga. Kohaku’s blade rebounded off the Tetsusaiga and landed in the grass nearby. </p><p>        Sesshomaru moved quickly while the child was unarmed, grasping the black-haired boy by his throat and holding him a foot or two off the ground. </p><p>        “You disarmed the boy,” the demon lord scoffed, looking over his shoulder at his younger half-brother, “Inuyasha, I didn’t think you had such strong feelings for me, your brother.” </p><p> </p><p>        Inuyasha was irked by Sesshomaru’s taunting statement, “In your dreams! If you don’t let him go, I’ll kill you!” </p><p>        Sesshomaru’s hold on the boy’s neck tightened, but the brown-eyed boy made no sign of struggle and did not call out for help or otherwise. </p><p>        “Stop, Sesshomaru!” Kagome begged, still gently holding the unconscious (Y/N). </p><p>        “Enough, Sesshomaru,” Inuyasha growled. </p><p>        The golden-eyed demon lord paid little heed to his brother or his female companion, more intrigued by Kohaku’s emotionless expression and empty gaze. </p><p>        “I don’t like his eyes,” the fur-wearing Inu-Daiyōkai mentally noted, before roughly releasing the boy’s throat. Kohaku crumpled on the ground but was still fully conscious. </p><p>        (Y/N) stirred and rubbed her eyes, her head aching, but her attention more vivid. </p><p>        “Oh, you’re conscious,” Kagome spoke softly, but (Y/N) gave little regard for the statement. (Y/N)’s (E/C) orbs looked at each face present, her lips transforming into a soft grin when recognizing the golden-eyed demon lord.</p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru…,” she greeted, but her face fell upon noticing Kohaku’s fallen near Sesshomaru’s body. </p><p>        “Kohaku…” she mumbled worriedly, watching as the freckled child stood, briefly examined the faces present, then ran off into the surrounding forest. </p><p>        “Aren’t you going after him?” Inuyasha inquired, rather surprised by his older brother’s lack of hostility. </p><p>        Kagome stood, releasing (Y/N) and turning to face the demon lord, “Um… thank you … for forgiving, Kohaku.” </p><p>        “That boy tried to die at my hands,” Sesshomaru explained. </p><p>        “Sesshomaru, you … knew?” Inuyasha gasped, lowering his Tetsusaiga. </p><p>        “I don’t want to play into Naraku’s treacherous hands. That’s all,” the golden-eyed Inu-Daiyōkai added, then turned his attention forward and began to walk away. </p><p>        (Y/N) took that as her cue and stood. She briefly dusted herself off, politely bowed to Kagome, then turned and ran after the long-haired male. The duo walking side-by-side as they disappeared into the shadows of the trees, on their way to rejoin with their fellow travelers. </p><p>        Some distance away and under the cover of the deep, verdant green trees, (Y/N) decided to properly thank the silver-haired male for his efforts. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru,” she began, the other not responding, but tilting his head to show he was listening.  “I wanted to thank you for saving me, so… um .. thank you,” she added, stopping to perform an almost ninety-degree bow of gratitude. </p><p>        Sesshomaru stopped, briefly examining the scene over his shoulder. He nodded, a signal (Y/N) noted in the far corner of her vision, and returned to her original posture. The (E/C)-eyed female resumed walking beside the Inu-Daiyōkai, keeping pace, but taking smaller strides than the taller male. Despite her original fear of the demon lord and the unfortunate circumstance they met under, (Y/N)’s trust of the demon was undeniably stronger and still growing and she couldn’t think of having it any other way.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Jaken's Illness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Birds chirped blithely overhead, capturing (Y/N)’s attention as she comfortably rode atop A-Un. It had been a little over a week since her unfortunate abduction and Naraku's disagreeable disappearance.</p><p>        Rin, sitting beside her senior’s figure, was absentmindedly swinging her legs and humming to entertain herself. Sesshomaru walked ahead, as per usual, though the gap was significantly smaller between himself and his companions. Jaken was behind Sesshomaru, holding the reins of A-Un in one three-fingered hand and the Nintōjō in the other. </p><p>        Rin’s stomach growled and she tapped (Y/N)’s shoulder lightly. Snapped out her blissful gaze, the (E/C)-eyed female looked at Rin questioningly. </p><p>        “(Y/N), I’m hungry,” the black-haired girl informed. </p><p>        (Y/N) made an understanding ‘o’ with her lips, visually showing her understanding of Rin’s previous statement. The (H/C)-haired female shifted her gaze to Sesshomaru, quietly pondering over her next words. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru,” she called gently, “May Rin and I go look for something to eat?”</p><p>        Though the question was addressed to the silver-haired Inu-Daiyōkai, Jaken inserted his judgment before a proper response could be given by his master. </p><p>        “Quiet, (Y/N)!” Jaken ordered gruffly, “A forest like this will have nothing for you to eat. Just bear it!” </p><p>        “But…,” Rin commented.</p><p>        “No buts!” Jaken retorted quickly, “Be quiet.”</p><p>        Rin disobediently jumped from A-Un’s broad back easily, (Y/N) sighing quietly before following after the child. “I’ll be real quick!” Rin promised, dashing off into the foliage heavy forest; (Y/N) hurriedly trying to keep after the brown-eyed girl. </p><p>        While traveling with Sesshomaru, Rin had become surprisingly agile, something (Y/N) both respected and, currently, resented. Her feet hurt from hitting rocks incorrectly and her arms stung from her long-sleeve yukata being snagged on a few too many branches. Pulling the cloth off of another branch, (Y/N) looked over to see Rin coming to a stop, her little form moving to crouch beside a tree trunk. A cluster of mushrooms, all in different stages of development, were sprouting against the moist bark and Rin was judging by appearance and experience to decide if they were edible. </p><p>        (Y/N) briskly walked over, triumphantly avoiding another snag. She stopped a few inches away, taking a moment to breath and enjoy the smells the air carried. (Y/N) turned to look at Rin, a subtle movement behind the black-haired girl catching her eye and jolting her adrenaline awake. Moving on instinct alone, (Y/N) forcefully pushed Rin aside. The older female was snatched, a strangled yelp escaping her lips, and taking the place that the brown-eyed girl would have found herself in had (Y/N) been a second later. </p><p>        “(Y/N)!” Rin screamed fearfully, another incoherable squeal following thereafter. </p><p>        In the tightening grip of a bodiless yōkai hand, the (E/C)-eyed female was trying her best to not make a fuss in front of Rin, but she would be lying if she said she wasn’t panicking internally. She gritted her teeth and struggled against the hold, frantically looking around to find a means of escape as time seemed to go painstakingly slow for her. </p><p>        The echo of the female’s screams, alerted their travel companions of something amiss. Fortuitously for the girls, Sesshomaru’s reaction speed was rivaled by none and he had responded quickly to Rin’s screams of terror, arriving on the scene not even two minutes later. </p><p>        Wielding Tōkijin, Sesshomaru gracefully lunged forwards, slicing the green-skinned arm in two and successfully freeing (Y/N) from its clawed grasp. The (H/C)-haired female fell ungracefully into a nearby bush, Rin rushing to her side, while Jaken unblushingly gushed over Sesshomaru’s mild encounter. </p><p>        “Brilliant! You are the one and only Lord Sesshomaru!”</p><p>        “You’re so dashing, Lord Sesshomaru!” Rin chirped, (Y/N) nodding her head.</p><p>        “Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru,” (Y/N) stated, holding a hand over her frantic heart and trying to calm her frayed nerves. </p><p>        Sesshomaru, who had thought he slew the malicious presence, inhaled sharply as the green-skinned yōkai moved again. He indifferently remained crouched, watching the lower demon for a further sign of attack. Remarkably, and to the displeasure of all present, the bodiless hand morphed into a tightly packed swarm of Naraku’s Saimyōshō. </p><p>        “Those are poisonous Saimyōshō!” Jaken exclaimed, noting the obvious. </p><p>        “Stand back,” Sesshomaru commanded laconically, finally standing to address the problem, “That Naraku, he left behind some annoying vermin.” </p><p>        The Saimyōshō reverted back into the clawed hand, prompting Sesshomaru to speak again. </p><p>        “Jaken,” the silver-haired male spoke, “There should be a hive nearby.”</p><p>        “Yes! I’ll look for it!” the imp replied, spinning around and dashing off.</p><p>        (Y/N) took Sesshomaru’s words and actions as a sign of warning and quickly ushered Rin a little further away from the sight of the upcoming battle. As she had feared, the bodiless arm swiftly attacked Sesshomaru, the fur wearing Inu-Daiyōkai easily blocking the claws of the green-skinned yōkai with Tōkijin; Repeating the blocks as the arm kept the attacks going. Sesshomaru skillfully lept back, using a nearby tree as make-shift springboard and launching himself forward when the demonic arm forcefully broke through the thick tree. </p><p>        Sesshomaru performed a refined three-sixty turn as he jumped from the tree, his arm raised above his head in a prime swinging position. Doing just that, the golden-eyed demon lord cleaved the arm, again, in half. The slice forcefully reverting the yōkai into the swarm of Saimyōshō. Sesshomaru ‘tched’ in annoyance, swiftly landing on the ground to avoid being poisoned by the insects of hell. </p><p>        The split group of Saimyōshō rejoined together in a swarm, Sesshomaru momentarily watching idly as they flew off. </p><p>        “Jaken!” Sesshomaru called, wordlessly inquiring about the whereabouts of the hive. </p><p>        (Y/N) looked around, her (E/C) orbs catching sight of a hive-like presence in the nook of a tree.  “Jaken!” the (H/C)-haired female appealed, poking towards what had caught her eye. </p><p>        “There! The hive of the poison insects!” Rin confirmed, also pointing at the mass subtly bulging from the tree’s trunk. </p><p>        Jaken gasped at the sight, but his attention was quickly drawn away by the buzz of an approaching swarm of Saimyōshō. </p><p>        “(Y/N)! Rin! Get down!” he ordered, pointing out the approaching swarm with one of his three-fingered hands. The females, unquestioningly, abided by his command, (Y/N) covering Rin’s smaller body as they disappeared behind the bush they were settled next to. </p><p>        “Get a taste of Nintōjō!” Jaken proclaimed, slamming the end of the staff onto the ground. </p><p>        Without delay, the skillfully carved face of the wooden old man responded, it’s mouth creaking open and releasing a large wave of burning red flames. </p><p>        (Y/N) felt the presence of heat against her back, but refused to look up; Rather terrified at the thought of a wall of fire being present mere inches above her body. Nintōjō’s attack worked effectively against some of the Saimyōshō, but most had managed to avoid the flaming attack Jaken utilized.</p><p>        “Persistent pest!” Jaken howled, moving to stand over the girl’s ducked bodies. The green-skinned imp employed the same offensive attack, engulfing more of the large demonic bees in consuming flames. </p><p>        “Girls! Keep your heads down!” Jaken reminded them; (Y/N) nodding briefly to acknowledge his statement.</p><p>        “I must protect (Y/N) and Rin,” the imp mentally stated, “Otherwise, who knows what Lord Sesshomaru will say!” The Saimyōshō were relentless, more bands appearing from the discovered hive and charging towards the staff-wielding imp and the grounded females. </p><p>        “What?! Still here!” Jaken cried in distress, simply opting to use the Nintōjō to hopelessly swat at the bee-like yōkai. </p><p>        “Jaken,” Sesshomaru warned monotonously, raising Tōkijin -  a ghostly blue aura igniting along the blade. </p><p>        The green-skinned imp squealed in fright and promptly fell to the ground. Sesshomaru swung the lethal blade, the demonic energy dispersing in a concentrated wave of energy. Under Tōkijin's formidable energy emission, the Saimyōshō were easily eliminated, along with any unfortunate trees positioned in the line of fire. The hive, amongst the chaos, also fell in the single fatal swoop. </p><p>        (Y/N) blinked and looked up, the sound of a falling tree earning her attention. The (E/C)-eyed female watched in rapt wonder as the tree crashed against other trees and greenery before meeting the ground in a thunderous rumble. Her attention was, however, torn away when Rin wriggled out from under her protecting hold and stood up. </p><p>        “You saved me, Lord Sesshomaru!” Jaken cheered, waving a pleased three-fingered hand at the distant figure of the demon lord. </p><p>        “Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru!” Rin yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth. </p><p>        (Y/N) smiled and decided to do the same, thanking the male for the second time in the past ten minutes, “Thank you, Sesshomaru!” </p><p>        The heartfelt moment was quickly shattered when Jaken screamed in pain. The (H/C)-haired female whipped her head around, standing fully to sidestep the fleeing Saimyōshō. The seventeen-year-old absentmindedly noted Sesshomaru saying something, but was more focused on the physically distressed imp. The little yōkai had speedily ripped the sleeve off of both his hanjuban and kariginu and was begging for assistance. </p><p>        “(Y/N)! Take the stingers out!” </p><p>        The (E/C)-eyed female reacted to his plea, but as she was about to pull the red Saimyōshō stingers from his twig-like arm, she encountered a distressing dilemma. The stingers had begun to sink into Jaken’s flesh, moving out of reach of (Y/N)’s hands and, frightfully, succeeding in fully poisoning the big-eyed imp. </p><p>        “Did you get them out?” Jaken asked, wincing and sweating profusely from the aching pain. </p><p>        “I’m sorry, Jaken,” (Y/N) whimpered, frustrated with herself for not acting sooner. </p><p>        The green-skinned imp then proceeded to scream louder than either Rin or (Y/N) had ever heard; Though, both figured the reaction to be reasonable and felt a wave of guilt wash over them simultaneously.</p><p>        “The toxic poisons have entered my body!” Jaken cried, running to the nearest tree and placing his three-fingered hands against the bark,  “If I don’t do something, I may die!” To the girls’ horror, he began to strenuously bang his head against the tree’s trunk.</p><p>        “Don’t do that, Jaken!” (Y/N) scolded worriedly, quickly rushing over to again be by the little imp’s side. “I’m sorry, Jaken. All because of me...”.</p><p>        “F-Fool!” he reprimanded, throwing down his torn kariginu sleeve, “I’m not going to die for you! I’m dying for Lord Sesshomaru!” His bold statement, and perhaps a future admonition, was stopped abruptly by the imp collapsing. </p><p>        “Master Jaken!” Rin yelled, moving to Jaken’s crumpled body, (Y/N) inching closer to be of the same distance. </p><p>        “Isn’t there some way to get rid of the poison?” (Y/N) queried, her eyebrows furrowed in worry, </p><p>        “It’s okay, (Y/N),” Jaken mumbled defeatedly, “I have been happy traveling the land with Lord Sesshomaru. Even if I should die here, I have no regrets in my life.”</p><p>        The (H/C)-haired female heard the sound of Rin sniffling, soft hiccups escaping her lips, “Master Jaken…”. (Y/N)’s eyes traveled back to the yellow-eyed imp as he began to speak again. </p><p>        “Tell Lord Sesshomaru,” Jaken asked, tears brimming around his eyes, “That I will be praying for his well-being from my grave.” </p><p>        “Master Jaken!” Rin cried, “I don’t want to see you die!” </p><p>        (Y/N), pressured by the emotional strain of the events, was no longer able to hold her tears back any longer, and, consequently, began to wipe at them furiously as they escaped her eyes, “How can I help you? I’ll do anything.” </p><p>        “Really?” Jaken uttered quietly.</p><p>        (Y/N) and Rin nodded in sync, both confident in their desire to assist their companion. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        (Y/N) and Rin had quickly boarded A-Un after Jaken had concluded with his oral instructions. Though the ride was of equal mental taxation, the (H/C)-haired female’s mind was plagued by what the dying green-skinned imp had said. </p><p>        “To the east of here is an herb farm known as Jinenji’s Garden. Go there and get the berries of the sennensou, or the “thousand-year flower.” </p><p>        “The berries of the “thousand-year flower”?” Rin repeated quietly.</p><p>        “But, (Y/N),” Jaken added, the respective female not quite liking the sound of the conjunction, “If you truly want to save me, you must hurry. Before the sun sets, I must swallow the berries or else the toxic poison will have spread throughout my body and I shall.”</p><p>        “Don’t worry,” Rin said, shaking (Y/N) from her looping recollections, “We’re going to save Master Jaken!”</p><p>        (Y/N) smiled sadly, almost positive the smaller child had been undergoing the same self-mental torture. The (E/C)-eyed female shifted her gaze to the cloudy sky overhead and inhaled deeply, forcing herself to escape the ring her mind had created. She had to think rationally and consider the entire situation, but their top priority at the moment was getting to Jinenji’s Garden, the apparent location of fabled sennensou. </p><p>        “Yeah, we’ll save him for sure, “ (Y/N) agreed, snapping A-Un’s reins, “A-Un! Please go faster!” </p><p>        The dragon yōkai consented without protest, the flames around the beast’s clawed feet growing in size, and his speed increasing exponentially.</p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        A-Un landed skillfully, Rin immediately sliding off with (Y/N) right behind. While in the air, the females had spotted a village, then noticed a small shack some distance away from the main settlement. The lone cottage was surrounded by large, orderly fields of budding, flowering, and blossoming crops and herbs. The (H/C)-haired female smiled softly, slightly reassured in their endeavors. </p><p>        Rin sprinted up the hill, stopping as she reached the precipice. “(Y/N)! Over here!” she called, rapidly beckoning with her arm. </p><p>        “A-Un, wait here!” (Y/N) said, gently patting the brown-scaled yōkai’s back before jogging  after Rin.</p><p>        “It’s an herbal garden,” Rin commented, sensing (Y/N) next to her. </p><p>        The (E/C) eyed female nodded, “This has to be it. Come on, let’s hurry.” </p><p>        The duo quickly navigated the flattened path leading to the cottage. There were soft sounds of movement inside and (Y/N) felt relief swell within her; They could get proper assistance! (Y/N) gently moved aside the grass noren, Rin peering in next to her. A woman with wrinkles of old age, and the white hair to match, was working with a basket of harvested herbs, laying out the leaves upon a straw mat to prepare them for sun drying. </p><p>        “Who is it?” the woman asked, looking at the girls with narrowed eyes. . </p><p>        Rin gasped softly beside her senior and (Y/N) would have been tempted to laugh, if she had not probably had the same mental reaction. </p><p>        “What is it?” the woman asked, </p><p>        “We want to see Jinenji,” (Y/N) admitted, Rin nodding her head eagerly. </p><p>        “Jinenji isn’t seeing anyone today,” the woman, presumably his mother, stated, “Go on home,”</p><p>        “You’re here, aren’t you, Jinenji?” Rin questioned, her eyes locking onto the rather large mass in the back of the cottage. </p><p>        (Y/N) followed the black-haired girl’s gaze, noticing the large, bulbous blanket. There were faint signs of breathing and movement visible underneath the thick cloth. </p><p>        “Please hear us out. Please give us some sennensou berries,” (Y/N) implored.</p><p>        “There’s someone who’s been poisoned and he might die!” Rin reaffirmed.</p><p>        “That’s very regrettable,” a voice whispered from underneath the blanket,“However, I don’t have sennensou berries here. Go home. ” </p><p>        “What’s wrong?” Rin questioned, “Why won’t you come out from under the covers?” </p><p>        “You’re just a little girl, so you wouldn’t understand.” </p><p>        “But, I would,” (Y/N) challenged, desperate for assistance to find the sennensou berries. </p><p>        The elderly mother turned her body to face her visitors, “Jinenji is a half-demon. Once in a while, he takes on the human form. He’s such a coward, as he doesn’t want anyone to see his human self.” </p><p>        Rin entered inside the cottage fully, (Y/N) releasing the noren and entering herself. </p><p>        “Then please tell us where we can find the berries,” Rin petitioned. </p><p>        “We’ll go get them ourselves,” (Y/N) added.</p><p>        “Sennensou berries are used as an antidote by demons,” the elderly woman remarked, “Are you trying to save a demon?”</p><p>        (Y/N) and Rin nodded their heads in unison, though the following question surprised (Y/N) more than she liked to admit. </p><p>        “Are you smitten with this demon?” </p><p>        “Smitten? What’s that?” Rin inquired.</p><p>        “No! No, we’re not,” (Y/N) cut in, “He’s just a very good comrade and it’s my fault he’s dying.” </p><p>        The woman blushed, a wrinkled hand resting upon her sun worn face, obviously not believing (Y/N)’s testimony, “I see! You’re so young! I underestimated you!” (Y/N) blushed at the elderly woman’s statement, rather aware of her growing feelings for a different demon. “I was like you once!” </p><p>        “Never mind that!” Rin interjected, “We must save Master Jaken!”</p><p>        “Ma!” Jinenji called unexpectantly, earning the attention of the females present, “That little girl resembles Kagome.” </p><p>        “Kagome?” his mother repeated, pausing to ponder over the familiar name, “Oh, that girl…”.</p><p>        Despite being so familiar with the little girl’s appearance, (Y/N) looked at Rin, wanting to see if Jinenji was correct in his claim. </p><p>        “Oh, I think you’re right,” the elderly woman agreed and (Y/N) nodded her head slightly to the other woman’s statement. </p><p>        “The sennensou grow in the ravine of the mountain outback,” Jinenji explained, “But, there are lots of demons and beasts. It’s impossible for a human to go there. When it’s dark, I’ll return to normal. So can you wait until then?” </p><p>        “It’ll be too late then!” (Y/N) replied, Rin walking forward to the mountain of a blanket. </p><p>        The black-haired girl got on all fours, peering under the blanket and making eye contact with the shadowed Jinenji, “Tell us what kind of plant it is. We’ll go get it!” </p><p>        “Really … you’re just like Kagome,” Jinenji uttered. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        The cold wind whipped through (Y/N)’s hair, her hand moving to keep some out of her eyes to better see the diagram she had been given. Rin sat in front of her, tightly gripping A-Un’s reigns and directing the dragon yōkai in the general direction of their destination.</p><p>        “(Y/N), the ravine is up ahead,” Rin reported, briefly looking over her shoulder. </p><p>        The respective female looked up from the paper, visually confirming Rin’s statement. </p><p>        “We’re almost there…,” (Y/N) mumbled, gently folding the paper and pocketing it in inner folds of her yukata. </p><p>        A short flight later, (Y/N) and Rin jumped off A-Un and began walking on foot; The loyal yōkai trailing a few feet behind them. Rin shrieked, (Y/N) quickly running to her side and picking the child up. In front of them lay a vicious array of yōkais, all of different appearances and smells, but all of equal detriment to human health. </p><p>        A few of the yōkai went into action, speedily approaching the very unarmed females. (Y/N) held Rin closer and turned away, ducking her head down in the process. A flash of charged heat breezed past her and (Y/N) looked over her shoulder to see a steaming scorch mark burned into the rocky ground. </p><p>        “Thank you, A-Un!” the girls chorused gratefully, the dragon yōkai’s lifting both of his heads and roaring in response. (Y/N) set Rin back down but kept a firm hold on the little girl’s hand, determined to stick close together should they encounter another swarm of blood-thirsty yōkai seeking for an easy meal. </p><p>        Rin and her older companion continued to walk through the ravine, every now and then pulling out Jinenji’s diagram of the plant to compare it to one they had discovered. </p><p>        “Ah! (Y/N), there!” Rin cried happily, using her free hand to point further up the ravine wall. (Y/N) looked towards the point Rin indicated, a smile erupting on her lips when she confirmed that the plant was, in fact, the sennensou. (Y/N) folded the paper and pocketed it again, gently releasing Rin’s hand. </p><p>        “Rin, stay with A-Un,” she directed, “I’m going to retrieve it.” </p><p>        Her actions, however, were stunted by the ground rumbling and crumbling away under their feet. The girls jumped away, moving closer towards the ravine wall. The dust settled momentarily but was restirred when a swarm of yōkai emerged from the broken, busted ground. The females screamed in terror, (Y/N) pushing Rin’s body behind her own. A-Un, again, swiftly came to their rescue. He flew by, slashing the yōkai and eliminating the first wave of foes. </p><p>        “A-Un, let Rin stay with you! Keep them at bay!” (Y/N) called, moving away from Rin to quickly begin climbing, “I’m going to get the berries.” </p><p>        The brown-scaled dragon agreed with an echoing roar, the yōkai walking over to allow Rin to board and protect (Y/N)’s back as she climbed. (Y/N) gritted her teeth as she heard, and felt, unfriendly yōkai moving behind her, choosing to avoid looking at the beasts and instead focusing on her current, also life-threatening task. The (H/C)-haired female again felt the heated electrical charge of A-Un’s blast, but she kept ascending the ravine wall determinedly. </p><p>        The task lasted for hours, the sun beginning to dip below the horizon as (Y/N) was a few yards away from the lofty sennensou. The wind rustled (Y/N)’s hair and yukata, her fingers were scraped and bleeding, and her arms ached from pulling her body up for so long. The rock (Y/N) was using as a footrest cracked, and then crumbled, sending (Y/N) down a few inches and desperately flashing the name of a silver-haired demon through her brain. </p><p>        “Damn,” (Y/N) mumbled, closing her eyes to block out her surroundings, her brain screaming for her to stop in her dangerous actions. She reopened her (E/C) eyes, reaching for another protruding rock and pulling herself up. </p><p>        “I won’t let anyone else die!” she mumbled, sliding her feet along a thin ledge, continuing to keep herself motivated, “I don’t want anyone else to die! I don’t want to see anyone die!” </p><p>        (Y/N) continued to climb up the rock face, the sky developing into a darker, more violent orangish red as the sun continued to descend. The (E/C)-eyed female stopped and took a deep breath of air, looking up to examine the distance between herself and the plant. She sighed and continued, closing the last few feet and reaching for the troublesome plant. </p><p>        “Jaken,” she uttered, “You better not die.” </p><p>        (Y/N) stretched her arm a little further, her hand connecting with the plant and she quickly grasped at the leafy base of sennenshou. The rock she was resting on suddenly disintegrated under her weight, (Y/N) losing her balance and falling backward. </p><p>        “(Y/N)!” Rin cried from atop A-Un, fearfully watching as her senior began to fall. </p><p>        “Sesshomaru!” (Y/N) screamed, yelling for the help of the first individual her brain so helpfully supplied. </p><p>        A flash of comet-like concentrated light rushed towards the falling female, stopping her descent and retreating to the top of the ravine. The light landed safely, reverting to the humanoid form of Sesshomaru. He held (Y/N) tightly against his body with his lone arm, the (H/C)-haired female completely unconscious after undergoing such a fright. Sesshomaru examined her features, then noted the sennenshou plant still firmly clasped in her grasp. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        Jaken was leaning against the trunk of a tree, groaning as he watched the position of the sun slowly sink as the hours passed. </p><p>        “The poison is spreading,” he whined, gripping at his garments, but stopped when he noticed the sun’s almost barely visible form over the distant mountains, “(Y/N) didn’t make it, after all .... Oh, my vision is blurring.” The imp blinked, confused by the vision before him, “Huh? An illusion?” The green-skinned imp rubbed his wide yellow eyes, reopening them to peer at the “illusion” again, “Huh? L-Lord Sesshomaru?” </p><p>        The Inu-Daiyōkai wordlessly tossed the sessenshou to the ill imp, the latter catching the plant in shock. Jaken briefly looked at the berry wielding plant, tears brimming at his eyes. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru!” he tearfully exclaimed, taking a vicious bite of the plant and another until the entire plant was eaten; Stem and all. Nearby, Rin wiped her tears away as she watched Jaken eat the healing plant, her teary gaze falling to (Y/N), who still lay unconscious next to her atop A-Un’s broad saddle.</p><p>        “You did it, (Y/N),” she whispered happily, rubbing her little hands through her senior’s tangled (H/C) hair. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        The crickets were chirping energetically, when (Y/N) finally opened her eyes again. Her back was laying against soft grass, the stars on full display above her. </p><p>        “Oh, you’re awake!” Jaken greeted, Rin rushing over to look to.</p><p>        “Huh?” (Y/N) mumbled, “You’re cured, Jaken? Or did I die again?”</p><p>        “Silly fool! Lord Sesshomaru brought you here,” Jaken explained, throwing in his usual scoldings for good measure. </p><p>        “Sesshomaru?” (Y/N) repeated, Rin wordlessly nodding her head and beaming in reply. The (H/C)-haired female grunted softly as her junior excitedly latched onto her torso, pleased to see (Y/N) alive and well. The older female gently returned the embrace, wrapping her arm around the smaller child’s frame. </p><p>        “Yes, (Y/N)!” Jaken replied, “Stop giving him so much trouble!” </p><p>        “I’m sorry,” the (E/C)-eyed female mumbled, but smiled, “I’m glad for you, Jaken!”</p><p>        (Y/N) stood, gently easing Rin off of her body to stand. She walked over, along with Rin and Jaken, to the Inu-Daiyōkai, his back turned to his traveling companions. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru,” (Y/N) greeted softly, followed by similar, but louder greetings by the two smaller individuals. </p><p>        The white-haired male looked over his shoulder, his eyes first locking with (Y/N)’s (E/C) ones, before shifting to look at the others. </p><p>        “We’re going,” he said, turning his back again on the trio and walking away.</p><p>        Rin grabbed (Y/N)’s hands, the girls laughing lightly and exchanging unperturbed grins. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru, we’re all together again,” Jaken stated, voicing the previously unspoken sentiment. </p><p>        (Y/N) sighed softly, relieved to again be safe and free from harm. The (H/C)-haired female looked up, soundlessly admiring the brilliance of the blanket of stars overhead; Indeed, they were all together again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. A Dangerous Encounter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“(Y/N)!” Rin yelled, tugging the sleeve of the respective female’s yukata, “There’s a river!” </p><p>        (Y/N) smiled and looked around, a faint flash of light reflecting upon water glimmering between the trees, “Oh, you’re right!</p><p>        Rin released her hold on her senior’s garment, turning to jog towards the green-imp that been closely accompanying the wander prone pair.</p><p>        “Master Jaken! Master Jaken! There’s a river! We can catch fish!”</p><p>         Rin was positively bubbling with joy and having delivered her message of good news, Rin carelessly ran towards the source of the faint bubbling; Of course, (Y/N), ever fearful of the child’s life, immediately proceeded to run after her. </p><p>        “Rin! (Y/N)!” Jaken yelled, hurriedly following after them, “Don’t be too hasty!” </p><p>        The black-haired girl squeezed through a patch of heavy overgrowth and prosperous bushes, emerging alongside the riverbank. (Y/N) followed suit, but immediately felt a shiver run down her spine and felt the pressure of her blood running cold. The gracious smile (Y/N) wore dropped instantaneously as she froze in place. Rin, warily eyeing the adversary, anxiously moved behind her taller form and fearfully clutched at the back of the older female’s yukata. </p><p>        “What? Humans?” </p><p>        (Y/N) felt her body quiver as the pack of wolves began to growl in malevolence, but tried to remain composed for the sake of Rin. The (H/C)-haired female gulped and gently shifted her body weight, better bracing herself for an attack that was likely to come.</p><p>        “Hey! Calm down, you guys,” a gray-haired, black tufted Wolf-Yōkai scolded, authoritatively placing his hands on his hips. </p><p>        “Humans are no good,” his mohawked comrade added. </p><p>        The brown-furred wolves whined and whimpered, displeased by the scolding and bitter over the loss of an effortless meal. (Y/N) and Rin could hardly focus on what was actually being said; Their minds flashing to their early taste of death and the unrivaled experience of riotous terror.  </p><p>        “You can eat whatever you like in this village.” </p><p>        In her blind panic, (Y/N)’s foot caught on a root protruding from the downtrodden dirt path. She collapsed, careful to avoid crushing Rin under her weight and instantly tried to stand again. Yet the brief moment of weakness allowed the wolves to shorten their hunt, the feral brown-pelted canines pouncing on the weakened pair. (Y/N) could only cry in agony as she tried to shield Rin from the brunt of the wolves' attacks. </p><p>        Frozen and consciously incapable of moving, the females stared blankly ahead at what could be their second unwanted welcoming of death. Their savior? A prideful staff-wielding imp. </p><p>        Jaken stumbled out of the undergrowth (Y/N) and Rin had pulled themselves through mere moments prior, a scolding reaching their ears as his customary form of greeting. It took a moment, but his bug-like yellow eyes widened at the presence of the fellow yōkai and their wolf companions. </p><p>        Snapping from her panic-induced trance, (Y/N) whipped her head around to face the newcomer, her eyes wildly examining the figure until recognition finally set in. She released the breath she had unknowingly been holding, taking a fresh gulp of air to lessen the effects of her racing adrenaline. </p><p>        “Master Jaken!” the girls gratefully chorused. </p><p>        Aware of the Nintōjō’s presence, (Y/N) twisted to push Rin closer to Jaken as they awkwardly scuttled behind his considerably smaller bodily structure. </p><p>        “Jaken,” (Y/N) whispered, not even daring to break eye-contact with the foe before them. </p><p>        “I see … They were once attacked by wolves,” Jaken concluded mentally, astutely taking note of the situation before him. “You there, wolves,” Jaken called verbally, “Leave this area immediately!” </p><p>        “Why?” the gray-haired Wolf-Yōkai demanded, “Besides, who’d you think we are?” </p><p>        “We’re the trusted henchman of Koga, the young leader of the Wolf-Demon Tribe,” his companion continued with an absurd amount of body movement, “Hakkaku, the shrewd one!” </p><p>        “And dimpled Ginta!” the original male finished, participating in the odd routine of unnecessary energy expenditure. </p><p>        “So there!”</p><p>        “Remember us now?” </p><p>        Jaken blinked in an unamused manner, shaking his head in disappointment, “Never heard of you.”</p><p>        “What?!” Ginta exclaimed. </p><p>        “Cower in fear, you two!” Jaken started dramatically, initiating his own asinine movement routine, “It has been several centuries since I began serving Lord Sesshomaru! Crossed through three thousand worlds have I, his most loyal follower! I answer to the name Jaken!” </p><p>        “You braggart!” Hakkaku growled, unaware of the blatant irony of his qualm. </p><p>        “Never heard of you, nor Sesshomaru!” Ginta countered. </p><p>        “How dare you insult Lord Sesshomaru!” Jaken barked, lifting the Nintōjō above his head and narrowly avoiding hitting (Y/N). The Wolf-Yōkai clenched their fists and prepared to fight, Hakkaku even moving to roll up the sleeves of his sleeveless attire. </p><p>        “We’ll gladly fight you!” </p><p>        A second into the comedically strained stand-off, the females’ true savior emerged gracefully from the undergrowth. </p><p>        “Jaken, what are you doing?” </p><p>        “Sesshomaru,” (Y/N) breathed.</p><p>        Without a second thought, both of the frightened females immediately abandoned Jaken to take cover behind the taller and more reliable Daiyōkai. The demon lord didn’t respond or voice his acknowledgment, his golden eyes remaining coldly locked on the Wolf-Yōkai’s party. The canine forerunners of the wolf pack stepped back to be closer to their kind, Ginta and Hakkaku sweating nervously, but not prepared to back down quite yet. </p><p>        “W-Who’re you?!” Ginta demanded. </p><p>        “Wanna fight?” Hakkaku yelled. </p><p>        The silver-haired Inu-Daiyōkai merely narrowed his eyes, the rowdy duo flinching and their wolves stepping further back. </p><p>        “We ain’t running away!” Ginta proclaimed. </p><p>        “We ain’t scared!” Hakkaku added, both obviously scared. </p><p>        No sooner had the words left the mohawked-male’s mouth, both began to sprint away to avoid a confrontation they would surely lose. (Y/N) sighed in relief as she watched them retreat with their boorish canines, Rin slipping her hand into her senior’s and squeezing tightly. </p><p>        “(Y/N) ... Rin,” Sesshomaru spoke, breaking them from their intent concentration on the fleeing pack. </p><p>        “Yes?” (Y/N) answered quietly, Rin peering around her side to look up at the Inu-Daiyōkai.</p><p>        “Weren’t you going to catch fish?” </p><p>        The question took much too long for (Y/N)’s brain to process, her expression contorting from incomprehension to surprise, to appreciation in a span of a few seconds. The (E/C)-eyed female smiled and nodded, Rin chirping a liberated, “Yes!” </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        Spending the day fishing and doing light foraging, the group began to move as the moon emerged. (Y/N) and Rin had taken brightly to the idea of riding A-Un, relieved to be able to get off their sore feet. Rin, who sat first in the saddle, was beginning to doze off, her head lolling forwards and back as she slipped in and out of the blissful confines of sleep. (Y/N) watched her head’s bobbing movements, before lovingly sighing and just deciding to let the child sleep peacefully. </p><p>        The (H/C)-haired female turned to face forward, abandoning her side-saddle position and sitting in a more astride manner. She scooted closer, Rin groggily peering over her shoulder at the movements of her senior. (Y/N) smiled lightly and easily hooked her hands at Rin’s arms, temporarily lifting the child to place in her lap. Rin blinked and looked up, but too tired to comment and instead leaned against (Y/N)’s provided support. </p><p>        It was only a matter of time then; Rin’s constant in-and-out slipping of consciousness slowing as the periods of time in sleep lengthened. (Y/N) did her best to ease the child into slumber, rubbing circles against her shoulder and just making her presence known. It took a little less than five minutes for Rin to be completely asleep, her breathing slowing. </p><p>        Sesshomaru wordlessly watched the interaction in his peripheral. (Y/N)’s unexpected position change had managed to prick his intrigue, thus prompting the male to watch as she silently put Rin to sleep. He returned his attention forward after the first minute of Rin falling to sleep, a newfound warmth inhabiting his heart. The sensation was unfamiliar to him and, frankly, a little disconcerting, but he easily dismissed the sensation as something of little importance. </p><p>        Jaken stopped a few minutes later, quizzically looking at the sight before him. </p><p>        “What are they…?” Jaken trailed in bemusement. </p><p>        Ginta and Hakkaku had stubbornly situated themselves in the middle of the dirt path. Their arms were lifted and outstretched, effectively mimicking the shape of a ‘T’.  At the sight, (Y/N) stiffened and gently prodded Rin out of her short bout of sleep. Rin looked up at her questioningly, but the older only vaguely gestured with a tilt of her head. The brown-eyed girl followed her gesture, a jolt of fear rushing through her small body. (Y/N) sensed the girl’s panic, wrapping her arms around Rin to offer a sense of comfort despite being of an equal state of distress. </p><p>        “Turn around!” Ginta demanded.</p><p>        “What shall we do, Lord Sesshomaru?” Jaken inquired, peering over his shoulder to look at his master. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru…,” (Y/N) trailed, also turning to look at the said male. </p><p>        “We’re the right- and left-hand men of Koga, the great young boss of the Wolf-Demon Tribe,” Ginta started, “Ginta from Hell!” </p><p>        “Slayer Hakkaku!” the other armored male chimed in. </p><p>        “Sounds different from earlier on,” Jaken offhandedly commented.</p><p>        “If you understand, turn around!” the Wolf-Yōkai requested in unison, both symmetrically placing one hand on their hip and holding their other hand out with their palm facing out - an obvious signal to stop. </p><p>        Sesshomaru, unamused, stared at the other yōkai expectantly. The group’s failure at compliance and the silver-haired male’s unnerving gaze sent both of the barricading men into a nervous cold sweat and another ridiculous routine. </p><p>        The men punched at the air in synchrony, then departed from their impressive simultaneity to embark in their own expressions of power. Hakkaku hiked his leg up as he did a turning kick, while Ginta simply kicked outwards and forwards. Despite that, they both finished their different acts at the same time and repeated the same synchronized air punch. </p><p>        Sesshomaru continued to stare at them with the reserved presence of unamusement and expected submission. Ginta and Hakkaku flinched and gritted their teeth, finding their purpose for doing this to be slowly slipping through their fingers. Perhaps finding nothing else they could use to justify their supposed prowess, they started to fight without luster. Ginta heartlessly punched at his partner, Hakkaku easily blocking with his forearm and punching at the shorter Wolf-Yōkai. Proceeding this, they both kicked and blocked; Following the same pattern as the previous punch routine.</p><p>        “Well?” they questioned. </p><p>        (Y/N) looked between the duo and Sesshomaru, rather confused and rather unappreciative of the absurdity of the Wolf-Yōkai’s tag-team presentation. Sesshomaru continued to wordlessly watch as they fought without vigor. Hakkaku lifted Ginta around the torso and threw the other into the air. </p><p>        “Hurling toss!” Hakkaku exclaimed.</p><p>        “Lightning kick!” Ginta finished, repositioning himself to kick the ground. </p><p>        When the said male landed, the ground rumbled and broke. The chaotic duo shared an expression of mutual smugness as a cloud of dust arose and settled a thin layer of grime upon their garments.</p><p>        “Well?” they again repeated. </p><p>        Sesshomaru, having permitted more than enough of the duo's shenanigans, narrowed his eyes and maintained his dignified, collected posture. The males subject to the gaze reacted in a wave of physical and vocal fear - choked whimpers and unease leaking from their body language. Needless to say, Ginta and Hakkaku were thoroughly spooked by the calculating menace exhibited in the demon lord’s golden eyes alone; Another fright induced shiver sending a torrent of goosebumps along their skin as the silver-haired male spoke. </p><p>        “Make way!” Sesshomaru commanded, the heavy undertones of a growl coupling strikingly well with the thick frigidity his tone tended to adopt when annoyed. </p><p>        The pair were clearly terrified, remnants of an earlier conversation concerning the demon lord echoing in their mind, but they, perhaps stupidly, maintained their ground. Hakkaku pointed his finger at Sesshomaru and his entourage in a way that was supposed to assert dominance, his arm was visibly trembling and his body naturally leaned away from the potential threat. </p><p>        “Y-you go elsewhere!” </p><p>        “Y-yeah!” Ginta reaffirmed, his voice wobbling just as terribly as his mohawked comrade’s. </p><p>        Jaken, who had otherwise remained silent, felt his jaw go slack in utter disbelief. His buggy eyes examining the turbulent pair in something akin to curious judgment. Sesshomaru took a few steps forward, his mokumoku swaying behind him in the process. </p><p>        “I said to make way!” Sesshomaru, again, stoically ordered. </p><p>        Ginta and Hakkaku gasped and, for the second time since meeting Sesshomaru, they remembered an earlier conversation as they nervously stared at the white-haired Inu-Daiyōkai and trembled uncontrollably. </p><p>        “But Sesshomaru wouldn’t hesitate to kill his opponent,” Kagome remarked, her hand resting against her chin thoughtfully and her brown eyes shining with distant recollections.  </p><p>        Sesshomaru unhurriedly, but threateningly, continued to lessen the gap between himself and the Wolf-Yōkai. Both members of the duo admirably stayed fastened to the ground as he approached and they openly discussed their plans of escape. </p><p>        “I-It’s all over Ginta!”</p><p>        “Hakkaku!” Ginta replied, “We’ll have a better chance of making it alive if we drag Koga away from here.” </p><p>        “You’re right!” Hakkaku remarked, a glimmer of hope returning to his voice, “Let’s get Koga away from here!” </p><p>        “What about me?” a new voice interrupted and successfully earned the attention of all present. Hakkaku and Ginta made similar, surprised gargles of faint recognition. They shared a glance, the voice clicked, and both whipped around to look at the newcomer, worriedly exclaiming: “Koga!” </p><p>        The said male was standing confidently atop a nearby rocky overhang, his hands clenched at his sides and his blue eyes surveying the scene below him. Sesshomaru quietly examined the black-haired male, not finding the other as a threat, nor finding any particular interest to engage in combat. </p><p>        “Who are you?” Koga snippily inquired. Sesshomaru remained silent and the black-haired male smoothly jumped from the cliff, landing skillfully on the path they all currently shared. Koga scrunched his nose and snidely remarked, “Boy, it’s starting to smell just like that mutt!” </p><p>        (Y/N) kept herself wrapped around Rin, her hold tightening as recognition fully set in. She couldn’t forget his face, and would probably never be able to, and, for that reason, (Y/N) was wholly confident in her identification of the male; Though that did little to appease her discomfort, instead doubling the tensity cycling through the air. </p><p>        “Huh,” Rin gasped in recognition.</p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru…” (Y/N) trailed off. </p><p>        The silver-haired male’s eyes momentarily flickered over to the closely huddled females, then returned to the members of the wolf demon tribe before him. Hakkaku and Ginta had wisely repositioned themselves behind the jewel-shard using Koga </p><p>        “He’s Inuyasha’s older brother,” Hakkaku reported. </p><p>        “Don’t goad him, Koga,” Ginta warned, keeping one hand on his leader’s shoulder. </p><p>        “Inuyasha’s older brother?” Koga repeated, his eyes trailing over Sesshomaru’s figure in dissociated interest, “So he’s not a half-demon?”</p><p>        The golden-eyed male didn’t verbally reply, though the slight furrowing of his brows told much in relation to his viewpoints on the path of the conversation. The reaction, though small, failed to go unnoticed by the cocky, self-assured blue-eyed Wolf-Yōkai. </p><p>        Koga smirked, “What? Struck a nerve?” </p><p>        “Koga!” Hakkaku and Ginta groused disbelievingly, shocked by their leader’s blatant dismissal of their warnings. </p><p>        “Stand back, (Y/N), Rin,” Sesshomaru uttered. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru!” Rin spoke. </p><p>        Jaken began to back away, consequently pushing A-Un and the brown-scaled yōkai’s riders further away from the confrontation as commanded. Sesshomaru resumed walking forward, stopping before the crater Ginta’s ‘lightning kick’ had produced moments prior. </p><p>        “Such fools,” Jaken mused mentally, “They’ll die.” </p><p>        Koga dropped into a fighting stance, his arms raised and his knees crouched. His weak-hearted comrades, however, cried, fell to the ground in a trembling mess, and hugged each other close as a means of weak comfort. </p><p>        “It’s all over!”</p><p>        Sesshomaru and Koga faced each other in a tense standoff, a gap of a little less than five feet spanning between them. A minute had barely managed to pass when Sesshomaru grunted quietly and looked past Koga expectantly. The black-haired male naturally turned to look as well, though his nose had also managed to pick up on the approaching scent. </p><p>        Quite abruptly, a bulky, purple-skinned yōkai violently burst through a patch of underbrush. It ran with it’s clawed hands preemptively outreached</p><p>        “Hand it over!” the yōkai demanded, “Hand over the Sacred Jewel shard!” </p><p>        The beast took little time attacking, swiping at the awaiting Koga. The clawed hand only made contact with the hard-packed path, another cloud of dirt and grime going airborne with the sudden collision. The black-haired male had effortlessly jumped to avoid the obvious attack and was notably displeased by the purple-skinned yōkai’s brazen demands. </p><p>        “Shaddup!” Koga yelled, landing a decisive kick to the beast’s forehead. </p><p>        The yōkai groaned and covered it’s facing, stumbling forward with a clumsiness proportionate to its bulkiness and lacking intelligence. Sesshomaru, who had not moved from his position and instead merely watched the encounter, grasped the hilt of the Tōkijin.</p><p>        In a swift movement, he drew the blade and slashed at the purple-skinned yōkai. In the wake of the deadly blade’s swing was a horizontal, almost kesagiri-like cut that easily cleaved the beast in two without even making blade to flesh contact. The beast yelled one last call of pain, before imploding in a flash of blinding blue light. </p><p>        “Thanks for nothing!” Koga chirped sarcastically, his hands on his hips. </p><p>        Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes, finding a particular aversion for Koga’s insolence and, seemingly, unjustified sense of superiority. His thoughts, whatever they may be, were cut as the cries of his female comrades cut through the air. </p><p>        “Jaken!” </p><p>        “Let me have the human!” a centipede-like yōkai demanded, appearing from behind A-Un. Jaken overcame the initial shock and responded quickly, leaping forward with the Nintōjō and the accompanying intent to protect. Nevertheless, the yōkai was agile and easily sent Jaken rolling away into the dirt. </p><p>        “Jaken!” </p><p>        (Y/N) hugged Rin tighter, but could only watch as the fangs of the multi-legged beast descended ever closer. Sesshomaru began to move, the jewel shard boosted Koga jumping over the silver-haired demon lord and reaching the females quicker as a result. </p><p>        Koga’s foot connected with the yōkai’s face, a surprising call escaping his lips, “Don’t you dare eat humans!” The black-haired male made quick work of the blood thirsting demon, a second kick sending the insect reminiscent beast backward; Much like the purple-skinned yōkai Sesshomaru slew, the centipede-like yōkai imploded in a burst of purple light. </p><p>        Koga landed beside A-Un, his riders staring at the blue-eyed male in a state of shock, confusion, and gratefulness. Thankfully, and much to the comfort of the (H/C)-haired female, Koga spared them little attention and walked away. </p><p>        “Unnecessary interference,” Sesshomaru declared.</p><p>        “Feeling’s mutual,” Koga replied, calmly continuing past the silver-haired demon lord. </p><p>        “What?!” Jaken muttered from his position in the dirt.</p><p>        “Huh?” Hakkaku and Ginta mumbled in confusion. </p><p>        Koga leisurely approached his comrades, slinging his arms over their shoulders and leading them away from the others. “Let’s go, guys. C’mon.” </p><p>        Sesshomaru silently watched as they left, perhaps out of curiosity or perhaps as a sign of acknowledgment. (Y/N) didn’t pay much attention and doubted she could find the answer easily anyways. The (E/C)-eyed female sighed and finally released her hold on Rin, granting the child more freedom. The brown-eyed girl smiled and the older female returned the gesture before sliding off of A-Un’s back to take his leather reins. </p><p>        “Is that all right, Lord Sesshomaru?” Jaken asked, trotting to be at his master’s side, “Koga’s wolves were the ones that attacked (Y/N) and Rin.” </p><p>        “If he tried the same thing, I’d kill him,” Sesshomaru answered sincerely, “But the one I’m after now is Naraku. I don’t need unnecessary battles” The golden-eyed male started walking again, his silvery-white hair swaying behind him as he moved. Without being told, (Y/N) took that as he cue to walk and easily fell into a pace a foot or two behind Sesshomaru. </p><p>        Jaken, however, seemed frozen in place, his jaw again hanging open in surprise. </p><p>        “Jaken, you’re being left behind,” (Y/N) called, turning her head to briefly look at the shorter imp. </p><p>        “Huh?!” Jaken uttered, then it clicked, “Wait!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Affection</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“(Y/N)!” </p><p>        The said female looked up from her current task, quirking a questioning brow at her approaching junior. Rin, as always, was childishly oblivious, but competently managed to read the (E/C)-eyed female’s curious gaze. </p><p>        “(Y/N)! You gotta come to see this!” </p><p>        The (H/C)-haired female returned her gaze to the auspicious cluster of green shoots she was previously investigating. Then again, though somewhat reluctantly, she met the cheery eyes of Rin as she stood and swiped a sheen of sweat from her forehead. </p><p>        (Y/N) smiled and patted at her yukata, “Sure, Rin,” the older female replied, “Lead the way.” </p><p>        Rin beamed and immediately bolted in the direction from which she had come. (Y/N) sighed softly, taking a mental note of the sprouts’ location before promptly falling into a light jog to keep up with the lithe black-haired child. Rin, thankfully, hadn’t gotten far, though she practically vibrated with excitement over the mysterious find she had been ever so vague about. </p><p>        The brown-eyed female stopped a little ways further, the sweet smell of florals overtaking the air and greeting (Y/N)’s nose pleasantly. An unruly wall, or more accurately, a tangled mess, of bushes, vines, and fledgling trees blocked the path ahead. The older female looked confusedly at the natural blockade, then looked towards the silent Rin. </p><p>        Rin had done a full one-eighty turn since stopping, her body now wholly facing (Y/N)’s as she excitedly rocked on the balls of her feet. (Y/N), having an inkling of what lay ahead, laughed lightly at Rin’s obvious excitement and finally pushed through the blockade of greenery. </p><p>        A grassy field lay unperturbed before them. Trees and shrubbery lined the clearing almost perfectly, a few gaps dotting the natural perimeter of the sunbathed area. The focal point, and the root of Rin’s surprise discovery, was the sheer abundance of blooming wildflowers coexisting with the grassy landscape. </p><p>        (Y/N) couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her lips. It really was a nice sight to see after the previous days of too little rain or, conversely,  too much of it. Rin pushed through the same wall of leaves and vines, stepping out with minimal struggle and deftly taking (Y/N)’s larger hand in hers. </p><p>        “It’s pretty right?” Rin genially queried, playfully tilting her head in questioning. </p><p>        “It is,” the (E/C)-eyed female replied with a nod of affirmation, “But, how did you find this? It was, more or less, shielded…”. (Y/N) added to her statement by making a half-hearted gesture to the method in which they entered the clearing. </p><p>        Rin tapped the tip of her nose and continued to smile innocently, “I just followed my nose!”</p><p>        (Y/N) laughed lightly, but returned her gaze to the field before her, “Say, how about we collect some flowers for Sesshomaru and Jaken for when they return. They’ll enjoy that, don’t you think?” </p><p>        “Yep!” </p><p>        And just as easily as she had taken (Y/N)’s hand, Rin released it. The (E/C)-eyed female took a large intake of breath and warmly watched as the shorter female began to jovially pick flowers and hum. A faint breeze passed through the clearing and (Y/N) found herself sneezing. She rubbed at her nose and sighed, shifting her gaze to relocate the quick-moving child. </p><p>        The heat was almost unbearable and how Rin managed to keep moving so energetically was probably one of the many mysteries the world had to offer. Nevertheless, (Y/N) couldn’t escape the growing sensation of a coming misfortune; The older female continuously moving to keep the younger female in eyesight. Perhaps it was the tell-tales of experience or maybe just a subconscious expectancy of the worst, but the (E/C)-eyed female had long since learned to seriously accept her fleeting hunches as a malformed pillar of truth. </p><p>        Nevertheless, the older female found she didn’t want to cut Rin’s fun short and the simple task of returning to camp becoming seemingly ten-times more difficult. Consequently, and despite (Y/N)’s slight discomfort, the females spent the rest of the afternoon peacefully inhabiting the field. Rin spent her time darting around the grass-bearing clearing, picking interesting looking flowers, and blissfully running back to (Y/N) to add to the growing bouquet. Truth be told, the (H/C)-haired female almost forgot the feeling she had upon arriving and instead wallowed in the intense heat and repose of the retreating day.</p><p>        After a mere hour or two of being in the field, both counterparts of the duo were drenched in their own sweat. Fortunately, for the perspiring pair, the sun slowly began to endeavor on its routine descent. It was as the sun began to retreat beyond the horizon that (Y/N) regretted her ease.</p><p>        “Rin, we need to start heading back!” (Y/N) announced, standing with the flowers in hand, “I want to try finding something to eat and visit the stream for a drink before we bed down.” </p><p>        Rin didn’t respond, an anomaly by itself, but the sound of rustling grass gave (Y/N) the impression she was treading through a patch of exceptionally long grass. </p><p>        “Rin?” (Y/N) tepidly called again, the impending sense of worry resurfacing in full force, “Rin, are you okay? Can you please respond?”</p><p>        The lack of response sent the female into a full state of near panic. (Y/N) frantically looked around, her eyes falling upon nothing but unassuming grass, flowers, and trees. The older female shifted through her impromptu, adrenaline-induced frenzy, trying to recall the last direction in which the eight-year-old had wondered. </p><p>        Her memory, thankfully, proceeded to offer satisfactory results. Without another thought, (Y/N) dropped everything in her hands and scrambled through the high grass in search of the unresponsive child. </p><p>        “Rin?! Answer me, please!” </p><p>        A faint grumble met her ears and the (H/C)-haired female stopped dead in her tracks. </p><p>        “Rin?” </p><p>        Another mumble and (Y/N) was moving towards the weak response quicker than she could fully process the implications. It didn’t take long to find the lost child thereafter. </p><p>        Rin was on her side, her hair splayed widely along the ground. She was sweating heavily and was breathing much too slow for (Y/N)’s consolation. The older female moved to her side, lifting her head to examine the collapsed child more closely. The brown-eyed girl’s hair was damp with sweat and her skin was moist and dotted with goosebumps. </p><p>        “Rin?”</p><p>        The child gave another weak mumble and (Y/N) felt another bout of fear course like ice through her veins. The (E/C)-eyed female took the child into her arms, hugging her tightly against her body and quickly making her way towards the wall of greenery they had entered the clearing through. The (E/C)-eyed female was careful to cover the child’s face as they crossed, ducking her own head to prevent hitting her eyes and mouth. </p><p>        “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart,” (Y/N) mumbled to the semi-conscious eight-year-old, doing little to hide her own worry, “I’m going to have you up and running soon, okay? Everything’s going to be okay.” </p><p>        (Y/N) wasted little time bringing Rin to camp, the older female setting the flushed female onto the ground. The (H/C)-haired female bit her lip in concentration, trying to recall every medical skill she had ever been taught and ignoring the haunting memory of her older brother’s fatal illness. (Y/N) shook her head and took a deep breath, organizing her thoughts, and promptly dedicating herself to her newfound tasks. </p><p>        Lord Sesshomaru and Jaken had left with A-Un, so the older female couldn’t ask for any of the demons to look over Rin or to bring her to a village for better assistance. Quite the predicament, indeed. (Y/N), thinking on the fly, hurriedly started a fire with the wood the females had collected that morning. The flames couldn’t flicker to life fast enough, the (E/C)-eyed female immediately racing away to the stream they had settled near.</p><p>        (Y/N) tore the right sleeve of (F/C) yukata and dipped it into the water. She pulled the soaked cloth back out, droplets of water dripped from the frayed item as she proceeded to drain the excess of the liquid back into the trickling stream. She repeated the process with the cloth of her left sleeve, crumbled the damp fabric scraps into her hands and made haste back towards camp. </p><p>        Rin had yet to move and the older female couldn’t help but tense as worry gnarled her stomach into knots. (Y/N) approached, unfolding the wet fabric scraps and laying them across her Rin’s sweating forehead. The effect wasn’t immediate, nor quick, but gradually Rin began to return to a normal color and her fever began to drop. Her pulse had become reinvigorated and her excessive sweating had stopped, much to the relief of the older female. </p><p>        For what remained of the hour, (Y/N) continued to run between the spring and camp, rewetting one of the makeshift rags while leaving one behind at all times. She had forgotten how many times she had passed by the same, old ancient tree, or how many times her hands had dipped into the water to wet the cloth, or how many times her unprotected arms scraped against low hanging tree branches; The female didn’t particularly care for that area of input, her attention solely concentrated upon easing Rin’s pain. </p><p>        (Y/N) returned, setting the newly wetted rag atop the other fabric scrap positioned across Rin’s forehead. The sun had completely sunken from view during one of (Y/N)’s trips - the fact being subconsciously recognized, but not truly received by the worry-fueled seventeen-year-old. The older female sat between the fire and Rin, the stars glimmering through the cover of trees and shedding the light upon the land dwellers. </p><p>        (Y/N) ran her hand through Rin’s tangled locks, keeping the still moist strands off of the child’s face and, hopefully, reaffirming her presence to the child. The action was well-received, Rin leaning into the cool touch and mumbling an almost incoherent response. </p><p>        “(Y/N)...”</p><p>        The (H/C)-haired female smiled faintly, brushing her hand along Rin’s cheek and sighing softly. </p><p>        “It’s going to be okay, Rin,” the older female whispered, “Focus on resting for right now.”</p><p>        Rin blinked and made eye-contact, giving a weak smile and an affirming nod, before closing her eyes and presumably going back to sleep. It was slightly frightening, seeing the restless ball of energy suddenly willing to sleep, but for the sake of her own mental health, (Y/N) decided to consider Rin’s ability to catch a few winks as a much-welcomed miracle. </p><p>        With Rin’s fever finally breaking, the (E/C)-eyed female felt a large weight leave her shoulders and a new sense of calm overtook her. It would have been much more gratifying, had the sluggish feeling of exhaustion not come to replace the sensation a moment later. The day's emotional and physical strain, after all,  demanded repayment in full. (Y/N)’s eyelids began to droop the longer she sat in the nightly silence and comforting chorus of cricket calls, her tired gaze staying involuntarily set on the ground. </p><p>        As sleep began to finally overtake her, the teenager suddenly had a flash of an idea that sharply shocked her brain into a proper state of awakeness. (Y/N) gazed at Rin tiredly, musing over her options before deciding to simply commit. She sighed and gently aroused Rin from her short bout of rest. Rin grumbled dazedly, her gaze finally settling on the older female. </p><p>        “I’m sorry to wake you, Rin,” (Y/N) mumbled, “But, you really need to drink and I’m unable to carry the water all the way here.”</p><p>        Whether or not the brown-eyed girl fully comprehended the statement is debatable, but (Y/N) skillfully took Rin into her arms and once again started on the trek down to the stream. The teenager was careful as she walked, cautiously moving to make the trip both comfortable and safe. </p><p>        The gurgle of the water alerted the (E/C)-eyed female of the stream’s presence before she could physically see it, the seventeen-year-old taking practiced steps in the dark towards the lower riverbed. The gleam of water finally reached her eyes, a faint smile of relief forming upon her lips.</p><p>        “Rin, we’re here,” (Y/N) stated, “I’m going to sit you upright.”</p><p>        Rin nodded groggily and gave a fleeting smile. The sight warmed (Y/N)’s heart as she slowly moved into a sitting position, Rin being repositioned to sit in her lap. The (H/C)-haired female leaned forward - inadvertently making Rin do the same - and straightened up once again, her hands cupping a mouthful of water. </p><p>        “Hurry, Rin,” (Y/N) urged, bringing her hands closer to the child’s face. </p><p>        The black-haired eight-year-old acquiesced, bringing her hand under (Y/N)’s as she drank the water. </p><p>        “Thank you,” Rin said, her voice hoarser than usual, “I really am starting to feel better.”</p><p>        A satisfied sigh escaped (Y/N)’s lips, “That’s good, but drink a little more, hmm?” And again, the duo repeated the procedure; (Y/N) cupping the water and Rin drinking her fill. </p><p>        “We should probably make our way back,” (Y/N) noted, “Do you think you can walk?”</p><p>        Rin nodded with a renewed sense of vigor and shakily attempted to stand, her older companion helping her to her feet. (Y/N) held her hand as they slowly walked back to camp, the former indescribably pleased to see Rin starting once again to fully function. </p><p>        The sudden sound of crunching grass sent a jolt down the female’s body, the duo stopping in their tracks. (Y/N)’s attention snapped towards the source with an intensity diametrically opposed to her usual nature, Rin - still somewhat dazed - mirrored her actions in curiosity and slight fright. Meeting (Y/N)'s gaze head-on, were a pair of golden irises; From there, it was only natural for the realization to set in almost instantly. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru!” (Y/N) greeted in excited relief, Rin chiming in her own muffled greeting. </p><p>        The Inu-Daiyōkai, who stood at the edge of the path, gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, but, as per usual, gave little else as a response. He stepped onto the path, the male’s flickered over the forms of his companions, before addressing the obvious change since their last greeting.</p><p>        “(Y/N), what has become of your garb?” </p><p>        “It’s rather complicated,” (Y/N) replied sheepishly, glancing towards Rin. </p><p>        Sesshomaru seemingly accepted this, offering a slight hum and ceasing to inquire further: “Do as you wish.” </p><p>        The (E/C)-eyed female shared a brief glance with Rin, before both smiled softly. (Y/N), however, took note of the ghost of a pained expression haunting the smaller child’s expression and unconsciously frowned with worry.</p><p>        “Rin, do you need me to carry you? You shouldn’t push yourself too hard.”</p><p>        “I feel better, I promise,” Rin replied, reassuringly squeezing (Y/N)’s hand.</p><p>        “Fine, but I want you to rest for a little longer when we get back.”</p><p>        The silver-haired male pieced the situation together in record time, his eyes narrowing in stoic unrest. </p><p>        “Does something plague Rin?”</p><p>        “I think she perhaps had a case of simple exhaustion.” (Y/N) supplied, “I’m not really sure though. She collapsed while we were in the field earlier this afternoon.” </p><p>        Sesshomaru closed his eyes, though whether it was out of disappointment, disgust, or simple concentration, (Y/n) wasn’t certain. A moment later, he reopened his eyes and made direct eye contact with the awaiting (E/C)-eyed female.</p><p>        “I trust that Rin will be healed shortly?”</p><p>        “Hopefully,” (Y/N) replied; Rin chiming in with a more assured, “Yep!”</p><p>        The silvery-haired male examined his female companions for a moment longer before - seemingly uninterested in the situation any further - soundlessly turned his back to them to return to the camp. The (H/C)-haired female watched him disappear down the path - somewhat entranced by his elegance - before honing her attention and locking eyes with Rin. </p><p>        “Shall we continue?” she queried softly, a hint of slight humor coating her tone. </p><p>        Rin nodded sleepily and their hand-in-hand walk back to camp resumed. There were a few sluggish stumbles, partially due to the darkness, and partially due to Rin’s recovering coordination skills, but the black-haired girl and her senior returned to the camp unharmed. </p><p>        Jaken was absentmindedly poking at the fire, A-Un was sprawled a few feet away from Jaken - his reins tied to a tree - and Sesshomaru was nowhere to be seen. (Y/N) took partial notice of the arrangement, but was more focused on getting Rin settled in for the night and some rest herself. </p><p>        "(Y/N)!” Jaken greeted, the air of a scolding sparking through the air, “Your appearance is disgraceful! You are a tag-a-long to the noble Sesshomaru and thus you are dressed inappropriately! And … wha! Don’t ignore me!” </p><p>        (Y/N) would have usually given a teasing remark or offered a reasonable explanation, but, frankly, the female was much too tired to particularly want to respond. Rin, however, was never one to ignore conversation - even in the aftermath of illness. </p><p>        “You shouldn’t scold (Y/N), Master Jaken!” Rin interjected, “She made me all better.” </p><p>        Jaken scoffed, “That doesn’t correlate to that woman’s attire!” </p><p>        (Y/N), having taken a seat in the grass, sighed and ceased the discussion before it developed further,  “Leave it be, Rin. It’s okay. The next time we’re near a village, I’ll barter or work or something else of the sort for a new yukata. It’ll be okay.” </p><p>        Rin nodded and walked over to her older counterpart, laying down near the fire at (Y/N)’s directing gesture. Jaken huffed and scowled, but - perhaps by a miracle - didn’t continue in his reprimand. Rin fell asleep a handful of minutes later, her (H/C)-haired companion doing the same soon after she laid down herself. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        (Y/N) blinked confusedly, then a second time, and groaned when her third repetition of the action finished. She tiredly sat up, the back of her yukata was moist from the morning’s dew and the sensation was not wanted in the slightest. She blew a troublesome strand of hair away from her face and rubbed her eyes, clearing her foggy vision and becoming reacquainted with her surroundings. </p><p>        Rin slept peacefully a few inches away, Jaken leaning against A-Un as he himself dozed. (Y/N) tilted her head skywards, noting the dim light and growing presence of clouds. The female, in her morning stupor, passively wondered if the day would be burdened by rain before everything of last night returned to her consciousness and the idea suddenly seemed much less important. </p><p>        The (E/C)-eyed female gently placed the back of her hand against Rin’s forehead, then breathed in relief when she felt to be of normal temperature. She removed her hand and set to quietly removing the tangled twigs and leaves she found in her own (H/C) locks; Until the smooth voice of a particular golden-eyed male interrupted her. </p><p>        “(Y/N).”</p><p>        The said female lowered her hands and looked over her shoulder, making eye-contact with the indomitable Inu-Daiyōkai.</p><p>        “Yes, Lord Sesshomaru?” </p><p>        The white-haired male didn’t respond just yet, instead setting a folded garment into her hands. </p><p>        “Exchange this for your current attire.”</p><p>        Then he walked away, taking his characteristic position against a nearby tree trunk and closing his eyes with a grace that is distinctly unachievable by mankind. (Y/N) watched his actions with an expression that can only be categorized as confused admiration, before examining the item he had bestowed upon her. She delicately unfolded the garment and immediately smiled. </p><p>        Her eyes excitedly roved over the new (F/C) long-sleeved yukata. The garment was of the same color, but the similarities stopped there. The garment was obviously made of a different, softer material and trimmed by the same white-printed, triple-hexagon pattern that adorned Sesshomaru’s kimono. </p><p>        (Y/N) jumped to her feet, rushing over the man that had given her the rather unexpected gift. </p><p>        “Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru,” she said, offering a respectful bow before darting into the cover of the forest to promptly change.</p><p>        Sesshomaru had watched her reaction to the present, a newfound stirring prompting him to mentally note that matters of such trifling nature evoked a child-like joy from the (E/C)-eyed female. An expression that he had the ineffable, and naturally, the foreign notion to cause again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I apologize for the prolonged update. This chapter was a little bit of a doozy and I had quite the spurt of writer's block. Therefore, I just wanted to get it drafted and posted, though I will quickly get to editing. That aside, I wanted to make this note to clarify a few things that were covered.</p><p>        First off, this chapter is inspired entirely by my speculation of what traveling is like during this time period. InuYasha focuses more on the action-packed aspects of the plot (which is totally fine), but traveling in the way they do is probably somewhat naturally perilous; Which ultimately led to the production of this chapter. </p><p>        Secondly, the illness Rin briefly caught was heat exhaustion, which - with the assistance of modern medical advances - can usually be recovered from in a short span of time. Obviously, the plot takes place in the Sengoku Period, so there were more uneducated methods* of aiding the sick. The reader does, however, take the appropriate steps in aiding Rin; So everything turns out well in the end. </p><p>        Anyways, I wanted to explain myself a little here and I am completely open to any questions you may have about this chapter. </p><p>*A lot of the somewhat questionable medical practices or the firm belief of afflictions caused by the gods/supernatural influences.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Onwards</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(Y/n) was rather concerned about traveling, thinking it would be more sensible to allow Rin more time to recuperate. Rin vouched that she was better and Sesshomaru, through his body language alone, revealed that they would be traveling again. (Y/n) was never one to challenge the will of Sesshomaru, thus she quietly gathered her belongings and cast worried glances towards the black-haired girl every other handful of minutes. </p><p>        They left a few minutes after Rin awoke, Sesshomaru leading the way as per usual, and Jaken commentating the same gibberish. </p><p>        “That Naraku… just you wait!” Jaken cried, “I’ll smash you and send you to the depths of hell.”</p><p>        (Y/n) shared a look with Rin, the females smiling to themselves and fixing their attention to the form ahead. Sesshomaru had stopped, his attention fixated on the ground.</p><p>        “I believe he’s sensed something,” Rin </p><p>        (Y/n) nodded, her gaze traveling to the demon lord ahead, “Lord Sesshomaru, why do you seek Naraku?”</p><p>        “Cripes,” Jaken muttered, before adding more audibly, “It’s because you, (Y/n), were abducted by Naraku that Lord Sesshomaru is so upset.” </p><p>         (Y/n) blinked, taking in the information, then gasped as it clicked, “Huh?! All because of me?!” </p><p>        “Don’t get so conceited, silly fool” Jaken immediately quipped back, “Lord Sesshomaru is a man of pride. He seems very calm on the outside, but after being treated like that he’s seething on the inside.”</p><p>        Without his knowledge, Jaken had closed the distance between himself and his master, his small frame running into the silver-haired Inu-Daiyōkai; Instant regret flashing across his features. </p><p>        “Huh, he’s got that scary look,” the imp mumbled.</p><p>        A minute later Jaken was scrawled on the ground, battered and beaten, with (Y/n) and Rin standing next to him.</p><p>        “Do you despise me that much?” Jaken whimpered.</p><p>        (Y/n) shook her head, looking away from the imp to curiously examine Sesshomaru as he moved on. He was usually rough with Jaken, but for a while, he had been a little more lenient towards his snooty, know-it-all servant. There was definitely a matter putting the silver-haired male at unease. </p><p>        “Are you all right?” Rin asked, garnering (Y/n)’s attention. </p><p>        Jaken muttered something inaudibly, the (e/c)-eyed female poking him gently with her foot. </p><p>        “Are you all right?” (Y/n) repeated.</p><p>        Proudly, Jaken refused, opting to get up on his own merit and proceed as if nothing had happened. (Y/n) sighed, but couldn’t hide the soft smile gracing her lips. At least something was remaining the same. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        The group continued to walk for some time, the air gradually becoming thicker and becoming heavier with a foul odor. Sesshomaru demanded his companions stay behind as he progressed forward, leaving the group of yōkai and humans behind with their own imagination. Out of precaution, (Y/n) suggested they retreat to a point where the air was clearer and with little complaint, exempting Jaken, the quartet settled in a safer location. </p><p>        The girls took turns fiddling with one another’s hair, chatting aimlessly and pointing out insects they spotted climbing up trees. A-Un, ever loyal, but ever in need of rest, nestled himself down and was fast asleep in a matter of minutes. </p><p>        The sun continued to rise, blessing the things below with heat and blinding light. After the first hour, the females had gotten tired of braiding and talking, opting to sit in silence as they waited patiently. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru is late,” Rin noted, swinging her legs back-and-forth, “I wish I had gone with him.”</p><p>        Jaken who, for the most part, had left the females alone, gaped as he looked over his shoulder. “Silly! Where Lord Sesshomaru went, there were signs of poison. If you followed along, you’d be dead!”</p><p>        “Jaken does have a point,” (Y/n) added, mindlessly readjusting the collar of her new yukata. </p><p>        “Gee… how boring!” Rin grumbled, a light pout adorning her features. </p><p>        (Y/n) laughed lightly, glad to see the girl in better spirits after the previous night’s scare; Though in truth, she would much rather have accompanied the silver-haired male as well, but her practical sense kept her rooted. For now, she would wait patiently for his return. </p><p>        Rin got up from the log they were sitting on to play with A-Un and Jaken again facing forward, leaving (Y/n) with little to do and time to waste. A slight rustle and brief flash of color against the backdrop of green prompted the (h/c)-haired female to instinctively look. </p><p>        A boy, one which she was familiar with, walked out of the foliage. His freckled face was solemn and focused and his movements stiff, but he was most definitely the Kohaku she had met all those nights ago. (Y/n) stifled a gasp as realization set in, her gaze flickering to her companions nervously, before focusing on Kohaku. </p><p>        The dark-haired boy raised his arm, a Saimyōshō arrived not even a second later, dropping a glimmering shard into his hand </p><p>        “Why is he here of all places?” (Y/n) worried mentally, her hand finding itself messing with the hem of her garment again. </p><p>        “Are you all right, (Y/n)?” Rin asked, her brow furrowed in concern; Jaken also looking over his shoulder in curiosity as well. </p><p>        “Yes, yes, I’m fine,” she replied, waving her hand in dismissal, adding in her usual grin for extra measure. </p><p>        Seeming to accept the answer, the other pair returned to their own thoughts and activities; (Y/n) returning her attention to where she had last seen Kohaku. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru, if you happen to see him again, will you kill Kohaku?” (Y/n) wondered, a frown adorning her features. </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        Sesshomaru’s nose was rarely wrong, and on the dates, his impeccable sense of smell failed him, he would never admit to such an embarrassment. Consequently, he was absolutely sure of three things. The first being that his pesky half-blood brother was in the area - naturally accompanied by his companions. The second being that Naraku’s young puppet, Kohaku, was somewhere nearby and hopefully, by extension, Naraku; Though Sesshomaru retained his doubts. And the third being that the smell and appearance of the foul poison had been getting stronger the further he traveled.</p><p>        The silver-haired male stopped at the center of the poison gas’s dispersal, a small shack leaking with clouds of purplish-blue gas catching his attention. There was loud commotion occurring inside, along with the faint smell of Inuyasha’s companions, and someone tainted faintly by the smell of Naraku. </p><p> </p><p>        Sesshomaru wasted little time responding.</p><p> </p><p>        The demon lord, without hesitation, used his acid claws on the man he presumed to be the source of the chaos. The short, pudgy man - adorned in clothes of white - and characterized with wide, lizard-like eyes, fell forward but was far from being impaired. </p><p>        “Is Inuyasha here?” Sesshomaru stepped further into the shack, abandoning his coverage by the doorframe.</p><p>        “Who are you?” demanded the, now, injured man, turning his head to face Sesshomaru from his far-from-comfy place on the floor. </p><p>        “That’s my question to you,” Sesshomaru replied.</p><p>        The pudgy man pulled himself from the floor with a grunt and a nervous sweat, gripping at his newfound wound with tender care. “You don’t know me,” he stuttered out, “yet you’ll…” With a swift movement, the man in white grabbed his wooden backpack - containing various canisters of poison - and darted out of the door of the shack. </p><p>        Sesshomaru watched him bolt with his usual expression of unaffectedness, certain the already injured man wouldn’t get far, and casually exited the building a few seconds after him. “I stabbed you with my toxic claws and you’re still moving around?”</p><p>        A proper response never came, instead, he was answered by a crude “Die!” and blasted point-blank with another canister of gas; this time of a dark brownish-black in color. </p><p>        “Serves you right!” the lizard-eyed man exclaimed, quite certain he had eliminated the long-haired opposer. </p><p>        The golden-eyed male was unamused, stopping in his tracks as the poisonous gas swirled around him in a deceivingly innocuous manner. He would let the man have his moment, he supposed, as fighting through the torrent of gas seemed more trouble than worth; though he wasn’t particularly happy about wasting his time on mere mortals. When the air cleared, Sesshomaru was unharmed and slightly more frustrated. </p><p>        The white-robed man took a step back, mumbled words of shock brushing through his lips as a newfound wariness washed over him at the sight of the unharmed, fur-wearing man. Sesshomaru felt little empathy for the gas-wielding man, briskly approaching him as the robed man frantically begged him to wait. </p><p>        “Wait…! Please wait!” he exclaimed, falling onto his behind, “I… I was wrong! Forgive me! Spare … spare me!” </p><p>        Sesshomaru, stopping a few inches before the man, watched as he cowered on the ground; His brows furrowed in slight distaste. Perhaps his time with (Y/n) and Rin had had more of an effect on him than he realized.</p><p>        “In order to defy you… ,” the man stated shakily, sneakily reaching into the bushes, “I’d have to do this at least.” Without a trace of fear and a confident smirk, the robed man pulled out a red, bamboo-reminiscent cannon from the shade of the bulky undergrowth. With a skilled movement and sadistic laugh, the cannon burst forth with a gaseous poison dark crimson in color.</p><p>        Sesshomaru stood patiently as he did before, his agitation in the man’s pointless antics only growing. </p><p>        “Learned your lesson?” the lizard-eyed man sneered, as the tube continued to emit the high-powered wave of gas, “Even demons will die with this…”</p><p>        The tube had finally run out of gas and the poison saturating the air began to waft away as it had done before, unsurprisingly revealing a sound Sesshomaru.</p><p>        “Why won’t you dissolve?” the man groaned, his eyes squinting in frustration and another nervous sweat overtaking him, “It’s a toxin made by the Poison Master Mukotsu!” </p><p>        Sesshomaru responded with a swift strike by Tōkijin. The robed man, Mukotsu, apparently, was immediately stripped of his flesh. Falling to the ground as a heap of dusty clothing, bones, a singular shard of the sacred jewel. </p><p>        “As if poison made for humans will work on me, Sesshomaru,” the man replied belatedly, swiftly returning the blade to his belt. </p><p>        Soon after the defeat of Mukotsu, a worried cry of “Kagome” rang through the air, capturing Sesshomaru’s attention; Though the arrival of the boisterous red-clad man did little disturb him the slightest. </p><p>        Inuyasha, with Shippo riding on his shoulder, quickly took notice of his brother standing leisurely in front of the heavily maimed shack. </p><p>        “Sesshomaru?!”</p><p>        Inuyasha rushed into the building, immediately confronted with the visage of his companions - Kagome, Sango, and Miroku - sprawled on the floor in various positions of distress. </p><p>        A startled gasp left the newcomers' mouths, the pair immediately jumping to conclusions.</p><p>        “Everyone’s dead!” Shippo cried.</p><p>        “Why you…!” Inuyasha exclaimed, raising his fists in anger as he turned to face his brother’s calm form, “What’d you do to them?” </p><p>        “No…” a weak, yet urgent whisper replied; An act that quickly garnered the half-demon’s attention. Kagome had been able to lift her head, facing the Inuyasha from her place on the floor, “Sesshomaru … saved us.” </p><p>        “I didn’t save you,” Sesshomaru noted immediately, purposefully keeping his attention fixed elsewhere, “He didn’t tell me what I needed to know, so I got rid of him. That’s all.” In reality, the silver-haired male had further evidence of (Y/n)’s and Rin’s influence on his actions concerning the likes of mortals; And he was yet to decipher whether this was an advantage. </p><p>        “Needed to know what?” </p><p>        “I can smell that kid Kohaku in the area.” </p><p>        This information seemed to surprise, or perhaps confirm something within the younger Inu-yōkai, Sesshomaru’s careful eyes taking note of Inuyasha’s fleeting glance towards the black-haired, armor-clad female. </p><p>        “Does that mean Naraku is near?” Sesshomaru asked, his eyes narrowing. </p><p>        There was a pregnant pause, neither relinquishing the information they knew or caring to move.</p><p>        “Answer me, Inuyasha. Where is Naraku?” Sesshomaru prodded.</p><p>        “We haven’t found him either,” Inuyasha admitted, his fist clenching in obvious frustration, “Just … Some specters possessing Sacred Jewel shards have come after us. I’m sure that Naraku is close by!” </p><p>        Sesshomaru easily accepted this response, turning with the intent of leaving, “That’s all I need to hear.” </p><p>        “Sesshomaru!” Inuyasha yelled but received no response.</p><p>        Sesshomaru was much more enraptured with the newfound information and returning to the group he had so hastily left behind. </p><p>~ + ~</p><p> </p><p>        Sesshomaru returned later that night, wearing his usual expression of solemness and carrying the scent of something foul. His expression was as solemn as it ever was, but he seemed notably more distant. (Y/n) spoke a soft greeting - mindful of the girl sleeping beside her - and offered a small, tired smile. </p><p>        The male nodded in response, moving to take a spot near, but arguably a distance away from the others. The (e/c)-eyed female watched as he moved, her emotions a jumble of awe and burning with the desire to aid the man. Thus, she stood, and mindfully approached him. </p><p>        His golden eyes met hers, a minor and sudden wave of nervousness washing through her body. Why was she nervous? </p><p>        “If you’ll allow me, I’ll wash your clothes,” she stated, quietly, “It’s the least I could do for what you’ve done for me.” </p><p>        “No need,” he responded, closing his eyes, “You’ll very well get ill.”</p><p>        “Ah,” (Y/n) nodded, “As you wish.”</p><p>        The (e/c)-eyed female returned to her position by Rin’s side, somewhat embarrassed and somewhat content. She went to sleep in a matter of moments thereafter, the light of the moon and stars easing her into a peaceful sleep. For Sesshomaru, his rest was unneeded, but the process eluded him entirely that night; His attention occupied on the whereabouts of Naraku and his sudden appreciation for the presence of his (h/c)-haired companion. The latter was yet another thing he was debating the advantages of. </p><p>        (Y/n) awoke to rustling in the camp and Rin gently shaking her awake. The older female slowly blinked her eyes open as she adjusted to the early morning light and absorbed her surroundings. (Y/n) sat up, stretched, then stood. With a quick look around, it was easy to tell that they would be traveling until dusk. She rubbed her face and pulled her hair from her eyes, thankfully for her, she would travel to the world’s end if it meant staying with the group she loved so dearly. </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        “Damn!” Inuyasha cried, roughly slamming his fist against the stone beneath him. </p><p>        The cool kiss of the misty air and the gentle rustling of the river did little to calm his nerves. His companions were dying, probably dead - if he were honest with himself, and it was his fault entirely; All because he couldn’t see through Renkotsu’s kind acts.</p><p>        “What are you cursing yourself over, Inuyasha?” </p><p>        The voice momentarily snapped the silver-haired Inu-Hanyō from his self-deprecating mourning. His older brother was not someone he wanted to see at the moment.</p><p>        “Get lost!” Inuyasha demanded, though his voice lacked in its usual vigor, “I’m in no mood to talk to you.” </p><p>        “Well… Only now you realize how weak you are?” Sesshomaru questioned.</p><p>        “Shut up!” Inuyasha barked back. </p><p>        Sesshomaru continued, not particularly caring about the emotions his younger brother was experiencing, “After all, you’re only a half-demon. You can barely take care of yourself and yet to wield the Tetsusaiga which was forged to protect others. It was impossible from the start.” </p><p>        “Then maybe I should kill you and take your Tenseiga? Then I can resurrect Kagome and the other two.” </p><p>        “Humph! As if you can master my Tenseiga,” Sesshomaru replied, the contempt in his voice blatantly present.</p><p>        “Won’t know unless I try!” Inuyasha proclaimed, jumping to his feet with the transformed Tetsusaiga in hand and the Windscar already activated. </p><p>        The water separating the brothers evaporated in a moment’s time, the river - still constant - moving to refill the dried area and maintain the flow. The target of the attack, however, was already long gone. </p><p>        “He’s gone…” Inuyasha breathed, closing his eyes in exhaustion and guilt; Doubting the ghostly presence of his brother in the first place. </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        As (Y/n) had expected, the group traveled for most of the day and night before finding a place to rest and find food for the two females to eat. Sesshomaru was gone when the (e/c)-eyed female awoke, Jaken and Rin as equally confused as the older female was. </p><p>        At some point, Jaken committed himself to call for his master, something (Y/n) agreed with, but felt was ultimately futile. Her voice wouldn’t last long anyway. </p><p>        Rin was the first to spot the approaching figure of the Inu-Daiyōkai emerging from the tree line, the group wordlessly gathering to greet him. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru! Where have you been?” Jaken asked, his voice revealing his relief.</p><p>        “Found him…” Sesshomaru responded cryptically, his head turned away from the group in front of him.</p><p>        Understandably, those that had been left shared a thread of confusion amongst them, Jaken voicing such with an audible, “Huh?” </p><p>        “I found him,” Sesshomaru repeated.</p><p>        “Found who?” Jaken asked, the females sharing a look of questioning. </p><p>        “That brat…,” the silver-haired man clarified, but to an extent that could hardly count as a clue.</p><p>        “Brat?” Jaken muttered, putting a contemplative hand to his chin, “Brat? Oh, you mean the boy who was with Naraku?” </p><p>        “Oh,” (Y/n) hummed, an expression of worry overtaking her features as she arrived at the same realization, “You mean Kohaku.” </p><p>        Sesshomaru didn’t respond, instead turning away from the group to continue walking. </p><p>        “Oh! Just a minute, Lord Sesshomaru!” Jaken exclaimed as he ran after him, Rin following swiftly behind.</p><p>        (Y/n) hung back momentarily, her attention focused on a thought she had had two days prior, “Is Sesshomaru going to kill Kohaku, after all?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I apologize for the four months of absolutely no updates. I recently had some events that transpired that needed my immediate attention, but I've been writing this chapter in my spare time whenever I could. In the end, I'm still not necessarily proud of this update, but a lot of rewriting occurred and I think I've upheld the standard I've set for myself and I hope you (the readers) help me keep. Please let me know if a chapter is ever unsatisfactory or feels incomplete.</p><p>        Otherwise, let me tell you about when I expect the next updates to be out and what I've finished thus far. Currently, expect updates in late November (23rd to 28th), in early December (7th - 12th), and again in late December (21st - 26th). Hopefully, I'll complete and publish more than two in the month of December. However, as far as completed chapters go, I have three chapters completed, but as I'm an impatient fool, these chapters are all what you could consider as the finale.</p><p>        Without holding you any longer, I wanted to thank you for your patience and feel free to leave suggestions about more interactions you want to see between the reader and Sesshomaru. I want to write more non-conical chapters that develop their relationship and justify the reader's place in the group.</p><p>        Thank you for your support and thank you for your readership!</p><p>* Also, I'm happy to announce that the sequel, that began airing in October, has the original voice actor of Sesshomaru playing as Sesshomaru. Many thanks, directors.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. The Sacred Mountain, Mt. Hakurei</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(Y/n) looked upwards at the rocky mountainside of Mt. Hakurei. The mountain, much larger than she had ever seen, simply seemed to disappear into the clouds. A part of her wanted to travel high enough to touch the sky, but her more logical side figured she was probably one-fourth part insane for wanting such a reality. Rin’s voice easily drew her attention.</p><p> </p><p>         “Such a large mountain, isn’t it, (Y/n)?”</p><p>         “Yes, quite,” the older female nodded, her attention drifting to the shorter imp.</p><p> </p><p>        As the group drew closer and closer, Jaken’s usual moaning and groaning had grown progressively more notable and aggressive. Currently, the staff-wielding servant was sprawled on his stomach - A-Un adopting a similar position on the ground - obviously regretting some of his choices and, apparently, in great discomfort.</p><p> </p><p>         “Why did I have to come to a place like this?” he groaned, a sigh punctuating his statement.</p><p>         “What’s the matter, Jaken?” Rin asked, turning away from the mountain to face him.</p><p>         “I feel awful!” he replied sourly, before proudly getting back to his feet.</p><p>         “From what?” (Y/n) inquired, her brow furrowing slightly in concentration.</p><p>         “Mt. Hakurei is a sacred mountain. It’s so pure, demons have a hard time approaching it,” Jaken explained, as he groggily walked towards A-Un; A grimace adorning his froggish-features during the entire discussion. “You two don’t feel anything because you’re human.”</p><p>        The females shared a brief glance, the older breaking away to look towards the direction Sesshomaru had already gone. Rin seemed to understand, casually grabbing the imp by his collar and dragging him back.</p><p>         “I feel like I’m being dragged,” Jaken noted blearily, completely out of it. From there, it only took a moment for the situation to click. “Hey!”</p><p>         “Let’s go further and explore, Jaken,” Rin said. (Y/n) chuckled lightly, taking a slight pleasure at the sight of the usually proud and leering demon actively trying to fight against a child’s grip.</p><p>         “H-hey! H-Hey … no!” he cried, little glimmers of tears pricking at the sides of his wide eyes, “I can’t go further! I’m going this way!”</p><p>         Driven by the desire to escape traveling deeper into Mr. Hakurei’s purifying air, Jaken quickly broke free from the black-haired girl’s grasp; Bolting away from the females until he collapsed against A-Un’s side. Panting heavily, Jaken was fixated on the current dilemma his master faced.</p><p>         “There’s no way a mass of evil like Naraku would be here,” he observed, looking up at the disappearing peak of the mountain, “So, why would Lord Sesshomaru…?”</p><p> </p><p>~ + ~</p><p> </p><p>        Sesshomaru was determinedly staying set on route, ignoring the buzzing rushing through his body and the sparks of the purifying aura reacting to his polar one. His journey would not be for naught.</p><p>         “A sacred barrier?” he mentally noted, stopping at a particularly purified area, “I can’t get near.”</p><p>         The silver-haired male’s attention drifted to the rocky path that sprawled ahead, the misty air and perfectly healthy greenery only growing thicker.</p><p>         “Naraku had a servant. I came here following the scent of that boy, Kohaku. But the scent stopped. Like it was cut off.”</p><p>         The silver-haired daiyōkai closed his eyes in irritation, turning on his heel as he began his journey back down the sacred mountain.</p><p> </p><p>~ + ~</p><p> </p><p>         (Y/n) sat beside Rin; The girl on the ground and the older on a rock to the right of her.</p><p>           “Lord Sesshomaru is late,” Rin stated, her eyes drifting to the path the man had taken earlier.</p><p>         “I have faith he’ll return, Rin,” (Y/n) replied, her gaze fixated on the mist and the clouds that swirled around them, “I suppose he is gathering as much information about Naraku as he possibly could.”</p><p>         A few feet away, Jaken was, again, sprawled out on his stomach in nauseating pain.</p><p>         “I want to get away from here,” he groaned, proceeding to mumble his thoughts in contrasting garbles of speed and leisure, “I hope he comes to rescue us.”</p><p>        (Y/n) was half-heartedly listening to the exchange. She was well aware that the great Inu-Daiyōkai could manage himself in a crisis, though, frankly, her cause of concern was mostly the group she was with currently. The only two yōkai were currently incapacitated and the remaining two weren’t known for their fighting prowess. The older female sighed, lowering her gaze to the ground; Though, they might as well be in one of the safest places from what she could tell, so she wasn’t necessarily wary.</p><p>         A flash of movement through the mist caught the (h/c)-haired female’s attention, her eyes squinting to make up for the foggy view and the distance.</p><p>         “Kohaku?” she mumbled under her breath. The female leaned forward as if that would help her vision, before coming to a timely mental conclusion, “No doubt. That’s Kohaku!”</p><p>        (Y/n) gets to her feet, stretching lightly to play off her movements, but still it was noticed by her ever-observant junior.</p><p>         “(Y/n)?” Rin asked, her curious gaze meeting hers.</p><p>         “Ah, don’t worry, I’m just going to check on A-Un. I’ll be back.</p><p>         Rin hummed, smiling as she playfully kicked her feet in the dirt, “I’ll look for you when Lord Sesshomaru comes back!”</p><p>        (Y/n) smiled, “Thank you, Rin. I’ll be quick.”</p><p>        With her alibi set, she disappeared down the path; Her figure slowly disappearing into the mist as she chased after Kohaku in the distance.</p><p>        Jaken noticed (Y/n)’s movements a little too late, jumping to his feet to run after her.</p><p>        “(Y/n), don’t go off on your own!” he cried, “Lord Sesshomaru will scold me!”</p><p>        The older female may have been stopped hadn’t Jaken been met with the spiritual barrier. He was pushed back and onto the ground, the green-skinned imp worriedly examining the burn mark now adorning his outer-garment.</p><p>        “I was so close to being purified,” he breathed in relief, but quickly came to his senses, “Huh?! Wait, (Y/n)!”</p><p> </p><p>~ + ~</p><p> </p><p>        Kohaku stood on an elevated rocky perch, preparing to jump the approximately ten to fifteen foot drop to the hard ground below. With a practiced motion, he braced himself and landed, briefly regaining his equilibrium before continuing into the cave nestled between the rocks.</p><p>        (Y/n) watched his movements, then approached the same cliff he had jumped prior. She mentally scaled the jump herself, then considering the delicate position she was in, decided to play it safe and quickly climb down. She gave a bated sigh of relief, before hurriedly running after the younger boy into the gaping opening to the cave.</p><p>         Water eerily dripped somewhere farther in, echoing through the hollow space. The (e/c)-eyed female adjusted herself to the lack of light as she progressed into the cave, shoving down any nerves she may have felt from submerging herself into a dark, unexplored territory.</p><p>        Despite her efforts, the excitement she felt at seeing the blue of Kohaku’s belt and the faint shine of his kusarigama was undeniable.</p><p>        “Kohaku!” she called, her voice carrying through the space more than she had intended, “Kohaku!”</p><p>        The boy stopped, looking around confusedly for a moment, before completely turning around. He had instinctively grabbed the handle of the sword at his hip, but taking notice of the individual calling him, he released his hold.</p><p>        “You!” he cried, a shine of recognition in his brown eyes, though it quite quickly turned to concern.</p><p>        “I’m glad I managed to catch up to you, Kohaku,” (Y/n) admitted, “I’ve been worried about your well-being.”</p><p>        He frowned slightly, though not of contempt, “(Y/n), why are you here?”</p><p>        “I was in the area, then I happened to notice you,” she admitted, though she omitted quite a few of the bridging details, “It bothered me how we parted; But, I’m glad you’re okay.”</p><p>        “Go back!” he commanded, “This is no place for you!”</p><p>        There was a growling that emitted from deeper in the cave’s darkness, a cacophony of scratching and accompanying movement adding to the unworldliness of the matter. The (h/c)-haired female looked behind the boy, a curtain of monstrous silhouettes and brilliantly red eyes greeting her only a few yards away.</p><p>        Kohaku protectively shifted his body to accommodate the unarmed and untrained female at his side.</p><p>        “Kohaku, what is that?” (Y/n) queried, shifting herself slightly to avoid getting in the way.</p><p>        “Quiet,” he whispered; which the older female nodded to.</p><p>        The swarm of yōkai hissed and gargled as they slowly drew closer, sensing the presence of the humans in the secluded area.</p><p>        “Go back slowly. Before they notice you,” Kohaku demanded, making eye-contact with the (e/c)-eyed female.</p><p>        “Kohaku.”</p><p>        “Hurry! If they see you, they’ll kill you!”</p><p>        “Kohaku. What about you? Will you be alright?”</p><p>        “They won’t attack me. Now go.”</p><p>        The whisper-yelled conversation was not one that didn’t carry weight. (Y/n) reluctantly took another step back.</p><p>        “Kohaku, get out of here safely,” she said, quietly, before turning and quickly leaving as he had ordered.</p><p>        A glance over her shoulder revealed how very outnumbered the freckled-boy was. One boy against a swarm of foes.</p><p>~ + ~</p><p> </p><p>        “I’m so sorry! Please forgive me, Lord Sesshomaru!” Jaken pleaded, the imp bowed at his master’s feet, “(Y/n) ran off before I could stop her.”</p><p>        “She said she was just going to check on A-Un,” Rin added worriedly, glancing between the path the female had disappeared on and the Inu-Daiyōkai before her.</p><p>        “(Y/n) is,” Sesshomaru paused, “inside the barrier?”</p><p>        Without hesitation, the silver-haired man proceeded to begin his ascent of the mountain again. Jaken desperately began to tug at the male’s legs, “No, you mustn’t, Lord Sesshomaru! If you enter sacred grounds, you’ll instantly be purified!”</p><p>        “Silence,” Sesshomaru ordered, tilting his attention to the path ahead, “Look behind you.”</p><p>        “Huh?” Jaken grumbled, then when recognition set in added, “(Y/n)!”</p><p>        Rin, by Sesshomaru’s side, waved also adding a call of greeting to the returning female.</p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru,” the (e/c)-eyed female greeted, drawing closer to the male and the other two.</p><p>         “Kohaku was inside, wasn’t he?” Sesshomaru asked, “Be honest.”</p><p>         (Y/n) stopped in her tracks, her expression falling to look of worry. The silver-haired man’s eyes were drilling and she was certain he was already aware of the answer. Jaken and Rin nervously looked between the two, opting to stay silent in the tensity that sprawled between them.</p><p>        “Kohaku helped me escape,” she decided, stating this in the clearest way possible, “There was a swarm of demons in a cave I entered.”</p><p>         Sesshomaru’s expression darkened, his brows furrowing; though his voice was still blatantly calm,  “What?”</p><p>         “Kohaku protected me from the demons,” (Y/n) reiterated, “So… Lord Sesshomaru?”</p><p>        Amidst the explanation, the Inu-Daiyōkai had altered the subject of his gaze. (Y/n) examined his expression, his frown loosening and his posture seeming more triumphant than aggravated. She supposed her wandering off had provided insight into the matter, though she was still uncertain as to how.</p><p>         “Come, we’re leaving,” the silver-haired man stated, before turning on his heels.</p><p> </p><p>~ + ~</p><p> </p><p>        (Y/n) had spent the last two weeks purposefully staying close to the regal, golden-eyed male. After the incident involving Kohaku, she wanted to reaffirm her loyalties to Sesshomaru and, of course, to the others that traveled with him. Rin had easily forgiven the female for lying once her senior had explained her concerns.</p><p>         “I’ll help you next time,” Rin had said, “So, don’t lie.”</p><p>         “Thank you, Rin. Hopefully, there won’t be a next time,” (Y/n) had admitted quietly, “But, I won’t lie to you again.”</p><p>        The group was now paused at the edge of a canyon; Mt. Hakurei’s misty air cycling through the flora miles below in the valley. The females were both riding A-Un, the younger girl in front.</p><p> </p><p>         “Wow!” Rin exclaimed, her eyes blown wide with amazement, “Look at this valley, (Y/n). ”</p><p>         The (e/c)-eyed female leaned forward, examining the scenery below. “Definitely a sight,” she agreed.</p><p> </p><p>        Jaken, who was by A-Un’s feet, was wobbling unsteadily as he clung to the sturdiness of the Nintōjō. (Y/n) glanced over at him from her elevated spot.</p><p> </p><p>        “Do you still feel sick, Jaken?” she inquired.</p><p>         “Even though we’re far away from Mt. Hakurei, I still feel awful."</p><p> </p><p>         Sesshomaru, who stood closest to the edge, was ignoring the individuals behind him. A soft wind greeted his features, swaying his hair and clothes.</p><p>         “The purifying aura that keeps out anything demonic reaches all the way out here,” he mentally noted, “What are you up to, Naraku?”</p><p>        The silver-haired male proceeded his thought process by jumping off the edge, elegantly falling into the valley as the air sparked and attempted to purify him.</p><p>         “Lord Sesshomaru!” Jaken cried, at first panicked, but almost a moment later, relaxed. “So cool.”</p><p>         (Y/n) watched the unperturbed motion as he disappeared into the thick mist, gently tapping the dragon-yōkai’s flank to prompt A-Un into following. He responded immediately, following the same motions the man prior had.</p><p>        “Girls! Don’t leave me behind!” he cried, stomping and yelling indignantly with an energy he failed to have a minute’s prior.</p><p>         A-Un flicked his tail upwards, allowing the imp to grab on before he continued descending. Jaken clung desperately as he was zapped and swayed by the purifying air, tears easily leaking from his eyes.</p><p>         “Don’t go too fast,” he screamed, screwing his eyes shut, “I’ll fall!”</p><p>         “Please don’t scream like that,” Rin said, briefly looking over her shoulder.</p><p>        “I can’t help it!” he replied, another whiny groan escaping him.</p><p>         “How annoying,” (Y/n) drawled, looking into the mist that was slowly engulfing them, “Steel yourself, Jaken!”</p><p>         “I can’t take this!” he cried.</p><p>         The trio was soon nothing but a shadow under the cover of the thick, misty mountain air.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. The Fate of the Dead</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A particularly tough bout of a chilly breeze swept through the verdant field, shivering the land-ridden grass and the leafy tops of trees in a way that headed instinctual alertness. Two men of differing statures and appearances - near polar opposites - were swiftly walking through a patch of notably tall grass; Waist high on the taller male and quite near chest height on the other. </p><p>        The shorter one was speaking, his tone differing from his default of playfulness and teasing, “Suikotsu, I really mean it. When we’re in battle, don’t you turn into a good person on me.” </p><p>        Suikotsu, apparently, scowled at the warning. “Shut up,” he growled, “That’s why we’re moving away from the barrier. That damned doctor. Appearing whenever he has the chance. It’s hard to push him back inside.” </p><p>        Admitting this only seemed to anger the taller of the two, his scowl deepening further. The shorter male abruptly turned to face his taller comrade, the grass swishing around him to accommodate the movement. </p><p>        “Oh, really?” he replied, “Then let’s follow our plan.” The shorter of the two, Jakotsu, turned again to continue pushing through the thick vegetation. </p><p>        Suikotsu scoffed, as if breaking the plan hadn’t even occurred to him, “I know.” The black-haired male broke away from his pastel wearing companion, diverting from his partner’s path to disappear into the shady covering of the aligned trees. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        (Y/n) and Rin were standing beside Jaken, curiously looking towards the edge that was a mere few feet away. The wind was quietly whistling around them - not quite a howl, but not quite enough to ignore, their clothes and hair swaying under the ministations. </p><p>        A flimsy, worn rope bridge was what connected the group to the next cliffside. Sesshomaru stood beside one of the wooden anchors, mentally weighing the usability of the old bridge. The Inu-Daiyōkai and his servant wouldn’t have usually bothered with such trivial matters, but out of consideration for the predicament his human companions were in, the silver-haired lord wasn’t necessarily interested in forcing them into a heart racing dance with death. </p><p>        Rin, who had egged closer towards the edge, curiously kicked a small rock over the edge. The older female watched Rin’s facial expression as she tried to hear the sound of the rocks' undoubtable collison. There was an elongated pause, one that (Y/n) pointedly avoided thinking about, before a faint splash could be heard at the bottom. Rin grinned over her shoulder, her (e/c)-eyed companion shaking her head in exaggerated exasperation. </p><p>        Sesshomaru had hardly noticed the female’s experiment, his golden-gaze abruptly being torn away from the rickety bridge. His brows furrowed in annoyance at the ever familiar smells of graveyard dirt and the lingering scent of the defiling, Naraku.. </p><p>        “They’re coming,” he announced cooly, before jumping away with his characteristic speed. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru!” Jaken surprisedly called after him, pulling the Nintōjō closer to his body. </p><p>        A blade, possessing snake-like qualities, jutted out of the tree line. Sesshomaru, unsurpassed, drew Tōkijin with a grunt of aggravation and parried the unusual blade. The silver-haired male landed gracefully as the sword returned to the owner and reset.</p><p>        Jakotsu, dressed in his usual pastel yukata, revealed himself from the bushes lining the cliff face clearing. He easily lifted the retracted blade, the Jakotsutō, over his lean, but muscular shoulder. </p><p>        “One of Naraku’s followers?” Sesshomaru inquired, posing himself to attack again with the Tōkijin. </p><p>        The black-haired male smirked and chuckled darkly - a stark contrast to his usually playful tone. He was serious. “How perceptive of you…” </p><p>        “Like that poison use, you smell like the dead,” Sesshomaru responded matter-of-factly. </p><p>        “Wow…You have a sharp sense of smell,” Jakotsu drawled, excitement tinging the tone of high timbre voice, “What I’d expect from Inuyasha’s older brother!”</p><p>        The black-haired male lifted his blade and swung, the many identical blades attached connected uncurling and swiftly filling the distances between himself and the silver-haired male on the downswing. Sesshomaru easily deflected the blade with an upturned swing by Tōkijin and rushed forward, intent on ending the fight quickly. He had no interest in this battle.</p><p>        Jakotsu was surprised by both Sesshomaru’s ability to deflect the Jakotsutō - a sword that had taken down many mighty opponents with one swing - and the speed at which the golden-eyed male launched his own attach; So with a startled gasp and quick-footed dodge, Jakotsu narrowly avoided the tip of the Tōkijin as the ground burst beneath him. </p><p>        The pastel wearing male was sent crashing into the dirt with a pained grunt and delayed tuck. Crawling away, sword retracted and in hand, the male breathed a frantic, “That was close!” </p><p>        Jaken, from the sidelines, was thoroughly enjoying the fight that was favoring his master. The imp excitedly jumping up-and-down as he sang the praises of the Inu-Daiyōkai.</p><p>        “Silly human! Stay still and be killed!” </p><p>        A habit of taunting that quickly came around to bite him, and the two females beside, in the back. The trio swiftly jumped backwards as one of the Jakotsutō’s blades struck the ground in front of them, a sizable divot being left in the ground. </p><p>        The blade retracted as the eyes of the two females and the frog-faced imp darted to look towards the wielder. </p><p>        “Hey dwarf, didja say something?” </p><p>        “Dwarf?!” Jaken repeated, obviously getting snagged on the wrong problem at hand. </p><p>        (Y/n) pulled Rin closer, her eyes briefly focusing on Sesshomaru's form approaching behind the black-haired male. Jakotsu took head of the sounds of the movement and whipped around to face the silver-haired male. </p><p>        Jakotsu yelled a frustrated, “What?!”, before initiating another attack with his snake-like blade. Sesshomaru, edging his attack from the air, deflected the blade with his own with a single, precise movement. </p><p>        “Jaken!” Sesshomaru commanded, elaborating no further as he swung at his opponent. </p><p>        The imp, however, promptly understood his order and turned to the females quietly, but stiffly posed behind him. Jaken tugged at Rin’s yukata sleeve and began to pull her towards the bridge, (Y/n) staying close behind the imp and the little black-haired, eight-year-old. </p><p>        “Let’s get away from here girls,” Jaken stated, “We’re of no help. We’re only in Lord Sesshomaru’s way.” </p><p>        The trio dashed for the bridge, boarding the structure as Sesshomaru landed at the front as an outward deterient for Jakotsu attacking his escaping companions. </p><p>        (Y/n) hurriedly maintained pace with her smaller companions, slowing herself so as not to rush past them and to uphold the rear. </p><p>        Jakotsu peered past Sesshomaru’s form, before cockily teasing, “Hmm… You don’t want the girls in harm’s way? So kind.”</p><p>        Sesshomaru scoffed, “You talk a lot for a dead person.” </p><p>        “Quit harping on and on about me being dead,” Jakotsu replied, visually offended, “But, now, you won’t hold back when you fight.” </p><p>        Sesshomaru offered no verbal response, and as somehow unfamiliar with him would conclude, his expression offered nothing to substitute for an answer either. </p><p>        “Let’s do this!” Jakotsu cried, reeling his blade black to swing forward. </p><p>        The Jakotsutō fully uncurled as it whipped towards the silver-haired Inu-Daiyōkai, Sesshomaru dodging by jumping over the low-aimed attack. </p><p>        Meanwhile, on the bridge the trio were still hurriedly attempting to cross the ravine via the old wooden bridge. With the echoing sound of a crash, (Y/n) and Rin looked over their shoulders as they moved.</p><p>        “I hope Lord Sesshomaru will be alright,” Rin worried.</p><p>        (Y/n) refocused her attention forwards, subconsciously frowning without noticing, “I trust that Lord Sesshomaru is entirely capable of handling him. Hopefully.”</p><p>        Jaken steadfastly remained focused on the bridge ahead, partly because his trust in his lord is nearly unflappable, and partly because he needed to be wary of what lay ahead. If anything happened to the females as a result of his carelessness he was sure today would be his last at the hands of Sesshomaru. </p><p>        “Fools. Lord Sesshomaru would never fall to a human.” </p><p>        “You might though, Jaken,” (Y/n) retorted, Rin nodded between a faint pant. </p><p>        “How dare you!” Jaken scolded, “I am a demon too! No way will I lose to a human!”</p><p>        There was a sudden and eerie creaking ahead that felt starkly different than the creaking they themselves had been creating as they traveled across. Out of caution, Jaken stopped, the taller females stopping right behind him. </p><p>        The fog shrouded the bridge further ahead, but a bulky, humanoid silhouette steadily approached them. The figure taking hurried, but purposeful steps that one would generally believe to be imposing - if the atmosphere didn’t already suggest such a gut feeling. </p><p>        “What is that?” Jaken mumbled, eyes straining to identify the figure. </p><p>        The figure finally became visible to the trio and only a stone’s throw away stopped in front of them. Jaken shuddered, bringing a three-clawed hand to his face. </p><p>        “He looks strong.”</p><p>        Indeed, Suikotsu was imposing in structure. He was physically tall and possessed broad shoulders, his body obviously well-trained underneath his chest-plate and spaulders. Even beyond his build, any normal being would be terrified of the surgical knives skillfully converted into the tiger-claw gauntlets adorning both of his hands. The tall male suddenly raised his arm, posing to strike. </p><p>        (Y/n) felt herself shiver in dread; As if the situation was not perilous enough.</p><p>        The clinking of the metal and perhaps the lack of sound being emitted from the footfall alerted Sesshomaru of danger, his head momentarily turning to look towards the bridge and its occupants. Jakotsu immediately took advantage of the fur-wearing male’s distraction, precisely whipping the Jakotsutō forward. </p><p>        The snake-like blade forced Sesshomaru to release his blade, his eyes widening in momentary shock as he was effectively disarmed of his one battle-worthy blade. Tōkijin spun through the air before becoming lodged in the cliff wall some distance behind the Inu-Daiyōkai. </p><p>        The black-haired male launched another attack promptly after the one prior, to which Sesshomaru sidestepped. </p><p>        “Look away and your head will fly!” </p><p>        Jakotsu, confident of his looming victory, chuckled gleefully. </p><p>        The disjointed laughter met (Y/n)’s ears, but was wholly enveloped in the desperate task of not getting her throat slashed at the moment. Suikotsu swung one of his arms forward, the sharp tips of the gauntlets grazing much to close to the female’s shoulder for comfort. </p><p>        The (e/c)-eyed female pushed Rin behind her, both stumbling as the rope bridge shifted underneath them. (Y/n) prodded Jaken, hoping the imp would be capable of providing some defense; Even if only miniscule. </p><p>        “Get back, (Y/n),Rin!” </p><p>        The females crouched low as they hurriedly scuttled away, keeping their eyes fixated on the scowling, dark-haired male. Suikotsu was relentless in his swipes, his claw-like blades either being dodged by Jaken or blocked inefficiently by the Nintōjō as the little demon was steadily pushed back.</p><p>        “If anything happens to Rin or (Y/n), Lord Sesshomaru will kill me!” Jaken whined, a drop of sweat dripping from his face as he blocked a particularly forceful attack from the armored male. “Here goes!” </p><p>        Jaken swung the Nintōjō upright in the moment reprieve, the face of the old man arriving at chest-level. </p><p>        “Staff of two heads!” Jaken cried, and immediately a blast of fire sprouted from the carved man’s face. The girls ducked lower, the heat tingling against their exposed skin. The wave of fire continued to overtake the area ahead of them, illuminating the murky, cloudy air. </p><p>        Jaken, deeming his efforts to be fruitful, stopped the fiery attack, lowering the staff. A light breeze rocked the bridge as the wooden planks in front of them crumbled from their sustained damage and fell into the cloudy unknown below. </p><p>        “Did I get him?” Jaken mumbled, his eyes scanning the bridge ahead. </p><p>        (Y/n) held Rin closer, a small sigh escaping her lips as another plank snapped from the rope’s hold and fell. </p><p>        “Jaken, the bridge is going to fall.” </p><p>        “I know that! Run!” </p><p>        The females complied, turning back towards the way they came and hurriedly dashed back towards steady land. Jaken’s command was not one of unnecessary caution as the bridge rocked again under the newfound loss of support, sending the trio jolting to one side of the bridge as it fluttered. </p><p>        There was an abrupt and, considering their situation, terrifying splitting of wood, as a clawed hand jutted through one of the planks separating Jaken and his human companions. </p><p>        “He’s alive!” Jaken shrieked, the girls yelping their own responses of shock. </p><p>        Suikotsu was precariously hanging underneath the bridge, one hand finding purchase along the side and the other gripping along the side of his self-made hole. </p><p>        “I won’t be killed so easily!” </p><p>        The armor-wearing male began to swing in preparation to pull himself up, the bridge beginning to rock violently underneath his ministrations. Rin stumbled and fell, (Y/n) shakily attempting to help her up.</p><p>        “What are you doing?! Hurry, you fools!”</p><p>        (Y/n) mumbled a shaky, “Okay” as she helped Rin up and continued to usher bother herself and the child towards a moderately safer area. </p><p>        Behind them Suikotsu was pulling himself up through the hole he had created in the bridge, the effort being the last the severely weakened bridge could handle. The support ropes snapping with a deafening noise - perhaps louder in (Y/n)’s ears then it actually was - before immediately feeling the lack of support and the horrifying sensation of falling.</p><p>        Rin and (Y/n) couldn’t help the screams of instinctual terror that escaped them in that very moment; Plummeting to the ground amongst the falling debris of the once present rope bridge. </p><p>        Sesshomaru responded immediately to the situation, abandoning his fight with Jakotsu and rushing towards the ravine. </p><p>        “W-wha…!” the black-haired gasped in surprise, though quickly regaining his custom brand of composure. “I heard that humans were his weak point,” Jakotsu monologues mentally, “My plan was to kidnap one of them and use her as a hostage. I never thought  he’d leave his back wide open for me!” </p><p>        Jakotsu smiled wickedly, an almost sadistic twinkle in his eyes, as wasted no time to raise his snake-like sword to attack. He swung the Jakotsutō, the connected blades unfurling and crashing into the ground where Sesshomaru was previously. Even with his back turned, the silver-haired male phased away from the attack. The pastel-adorned male, however, was not one to give up easily and continued to relentlessly swing towards the taller male. </p><p>        “Take that! And that! And that!” </p><p>        All the while, Sesshomaru had been swiftly approaching the cliff face where Tōkijin was securely lodged as he evaded the black-haired male’s quick-fired assaults. The Inu-Daiyōkai landed along the rocky wall, gripping the blade’s hilt and tugging it free as he elegantly flipped backwards; The Jakotsutō crashed into the demonic blade’s momentary resting place just as the silver-haired lord moved away. </p><p>        A cloud of dust and debris shrouded the golden-eyed male’s presence to his opponent, but Jakotsu was skilled in battle and continued to swing anyways, confident in his own fighting prowess. </p><p>        “You're mine!” </p><p>        The Jakotsutō snaked towards Sesshomaru, curling around the male’s retreating form. The black-haired man smirked, “Gotcha!”</p><p>        His victory, though, was exceptionally short-lived. In a rushed, but practiced movement, Sesshomaru deflected the snake-like blade without turning to face the attacker. The blade whipped back towards its wielder and landed mere inches in front of his form, slicing the front of his yukata in the process. </p><p>        Jakotsu felt a chill overtake, surprisedly taking a seat on the ; Eyes wide and full aware of the death he narrowly avoided. </p><p>        “He deflected my Jakotsutō sword and sent it back at me!” </p><p>        Sesshomaru ‘tched’ at his failure to actually seize the man’s life, refocusing his attention on the humans that had fallen into the ravine. </p><p>        “Damn! He’s strong,” Jakotsu mumbled, watching as the silver-haired male disappeared over the cusp of the cliff, “Couldn’t die in peace if I’m killed by Inuyasha’s brother before I killed Inuyasha.Isn’t that right, Inuyasha?” </p><p>        Sesshomaru jumped from rock to rock, until he landed on the rocky riverbed. The water was swift moving, dragging the falling debris and anything caught with it’s powerful current. Inu-Daiyōkai examined the river, his gaze flickering between the river and the rocks adorning the shore line. </p><p>        “They must have been carried away by the river,” Sesshomaru concluded, “The water is washing away their smell.” </p><p>        With that he began to walk along the bed, momentarily stopping  to take note of the presence of his servant. Jaken was draped over a rock, his buggy eyes squeezed shut and his staff pinned underneath his arms. When his master walked past, amateurly opening his eyes to confirm if his ploy had worked or not; Immediately closing them again when his name was called. </p><p>        “Jaken,” Sesshomaru called, his voice low and as demanding as ever, “Are you pretending to be dead, Jaken?” </p><p>        The imp immediately jumped to his feet, a cry of panic escaping him as he apologized. Nevertheless he was immediately on his knees again, performing dogeza in his flurry of panic. “Please forgive me Lord Sesshomaru!” </p><p>        “If it kills me I shall find (Y/n) and Rin, and … huh?! Lord Sesshomaru!” Jaken cried, sitting himself upright, collecting the Nintōjō, and scrambling after Sesshomaru - who had already begun to walk again,”Wait for me, Lord Sesshomaru!”</p><p>        Jaken blinked as he stumbled after his lord, mentally noting, “He’s angry, afterall…”</p><p>~ + ~ </p><p>        (Y/n) blinked her eyes open. The sunlight was brighter than she had ever remembered it to be, the sound of water and, what she assumed to be her own breathing, only adding to her growing headache. She must have hit her head during the fall. The (e/c)-eyed female slowly pulled herself into an upright position, her body sore in more places than she initially thought. Her own pain, however, was quickly ignored upon the female recognizing the absence of little Rin. </p><p>        She wobbled to her feet, “Rin? Can you hear me?”</p><p>        The (h/c)-haired female looked around, her eyes locking in the form of the girl further downstream from where she herself had been washed-up. She sighed in relief and hobbled over to the little girl. Rin was outwardly unharmed, except for a few scrapes and slightly singed hair; (Y/n) figured she probably didn’t look much better. </p><p>        There was a shuffling some distance upstream, the foliage growing around the rocky riverbed swaying to accommodate the moving form of figure. (Y/n) stared towards the noise, her gaze flickering between Rin and the possible danger. </p><p>        The figure finally emerged and with it her fear spiked tenfold. (Y/n) hurriedly, but gently scooped Rin up with a slight grunt of pain, and began to move further downstream. The tall man from the bridge, though slightly different in appearance, was walking towards them; Though whether or not, he was aware of their presence or not was debatable. (Y/n) did not want to test that theory. </p><p>        The (e/c)-eyed female hesitated, before ducking behind a large cropping of boulders. She gently nestled Rin down, pushing a lock of hair from the little girl’s eyes. She was intent on keeping the child out of harm’s way, though she doubted how wise it would be to leave the riverbed where Sesshomaru was sure to search first. </p><p>        Suikotsu continued to move closer to their impromptu hiding place and, with a shaky breath, (Y/n) made the executive decision to leave Rin behind while she moved farther downstream. The female was assured Rin would be found by Sesshomaru and, if she was careful, she could avoid being caught as well; Though she was admittedly much less confident in her stealth skills. </p><p>        (Y/n) stayed low and continued to keep moving forward, stopping and ducking whenever necessary. Nevertheless, her luck was quite terrible - if her frequent kidnapping and encounters with lesser yōkai were a testament to anything. The (h/c)-haired female strained her ears as she listened for the movement of the tall, dark umber-haired male. The sound of his movements had stopped and thus she continued to move forward. The process had been working thus far, though by neglecting the man’s background of mercenary endeavors, she forgot to not only focus on her auditory skills. </p><p>        She glanced behind her shoulder as she walked, only to walk straight into the very man she was avoiding. Her (e/c)-eyed gaze met his dark-gray orbs and she stumbled back quickly, her back meeting rough bark. </p><p>        “What’s the matter?” he inquired, his eyebrows furrowing in kindly confusion, “Why do you run?”</p><p>        (Y/n) exhaled sharply, examining the armored male more closely. She was certain this was the same man, his garments and attendance was much too coincidental to be reasonable, though his temperament and some elements of his appearance had been altered.</p><p>        “Do not fear me,” he added, “I’m a physician.”</p><p>        The (h/c)-haired female blinked. This man lacked the same green tiger-stripe esque facial markings and the unruly spiky hair as the man on the bridge, but she was certain her instincts were not wrong on this matter. The one here and the one on the bridge were one and the same. </p><p>        “Come with me,” he stated, though his words were kind, “I’ll help you to a village.” </p><p>        (Y/n) considered her options, then, against her better judgement, decided to follow the man. Sesshomaru would be able to follow her scent and she could at least keep one of their attackers distracted from the unconscious Rin she left behind. </p><p>        The man detoured away from the river, moving further inland as he made small chat with the woman that trailed quietly behind him. </p><p>        “Are you traveling alone?” he questioned, looking over his shoulder to look at the lone female.</p><p>        “Ah, yes, I was traveling with a small group,” she admitted, carefully moving around the subject, “But, I seem to have found myself separated from them; Though I’m sure they’ll come looking for me.” </p><p>        “I see,” he replied, contemplative, “You shouldn’t stay here too long. The forest is dangerous. You should stay with me until your companions come find you.” </p><p>        (Y/n) swallowed thickly, but replied with a polite, “All right.” </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p> “Pure has become impure, impure has now become pure. Good has now become bad, bad has become evil. For one to live is to die, for one to die is to live.”</p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        The sky overhead had gradually drifted into a ombré of orange, pink, and bloody red. (Y/n) continued to follow Suikotsu through the day, the man finally stopped at a small cottage quite some distance from the main village; A little waft of smoke curling into the sky as two children tended to a small, stone stove. </p><p>        At the sound of steps swishing the grass, the two children - three, (Y/n) corrected, a baby was strapped to the older of the two - turned to look towards the visitor; Smiles stretching over their faces when recognition hit. </p><p>        “I’m home,” Suikotsu announced. </p><p>        The little girl with the baby strapped to her back, stood and walked forward, “Dr. Suikotsu!”</p><p>        With the commotion outside, more children scurried to the front of the cottage to peer out of the sliding doors and offer their own cheerful greeting. </p><p>        “I’m sorry I left like that,” Suikotsu apologized.</p><p>        “Are you really Dr.Suikotsu?” one of the children asked, his head tilting in curiosity. </p><p>        “Yes. What’s the matter?” </p><p>        The children shook their heads, but continued to stare at the man in wonderment. </p><p>        It was at this moment that the supposed physician remembered the presence of the female lingering behind him. He quietly beckoned her closer, to which (Y/n) warily complied. </p><p>        “This is (Y/n),” he introduced, “Be nice to her, everyone.” </p><p>        Out of respect and habit, the female bowed her head in greeting, but trailed her eyes curiously over the young children presented before her. None of them, except perhaps one of the boys, were possibly any older or bigger than Rin, but by the lack of adults present, she assumed they were all orphans.</p><p>        The conversation was brief, as the sound of horses and men drew the attention of those present. A group of elderly men - three on foot and one on horseback - were approaching the lonely cottage with torches in hand. </p><p>        “It is Dr. Suikotsu,” one of the men noted, “He’s really back!”</p><p>        “What’s the matter, everyone?” Suikotsu questioned, his brows furrowing in mild concern. </p><p>        “Dr. Suikotsu, we beg you. Please leave the village.” </p><p>        The dark umber-haired was surprised at this, grunting lowly at the request. (Y/n) stepped back a little, eyeing the male and the newcomers out of cautiousness. Something felt wrong. </p><p>        “Wasn’t it your fault that the Band of Seven attacked this village?” the elderly villager on horseback asked, pulling himself off the stead, “And your expression at that time … you looked like a demon.” </p><p>        Suikotsu sighed, though it sounded to be more of enjoyment, a smile of worrisome caliber appearing on his features. Then, without warning, the supposed physician was wearing his tiger-clawed gauntlets again and struck one of the elderly villagers closest to him. The man’s blood splattered across the ground, a droplet or two landing on Suikotsu’s face as the children screamed in fright. </p><p>        The horse the villagers used to arrive at the cottage was spooked at the sight, rearing and neighing loudly, before fleeing the scene entirely. (Y/n) blinked, but she regained her senses and took a few tentative steps backwards. </p><p>        “What ingrates,” Suigotsu stated, his arm still held in the upswing position of his attack, eerily calm, “After all of my ministrations.” </p><p>        The orphaned children huddled closer to the cottage, the villagers wisely began retreating from the man as (Y/n) was herself was currently doing. </p><p>        “Wait up,” Suikotsu said, chasing after the frightened villagers, his expression entirely neutral, though he was obviously enjoying the game. </p><p>        “Children, you need to run away,” (Y/n) commanded, a few of the children meeting her eyes, but too terrified to move. “Quickly, seek coverage somewhere safe.” (Y/n) bit her lower lip as she glanced towards the woods she had walked through earlier that day and the children standing in front of her. She sighed, forgoing her own escape to usher the orphans into moving themselves, pushing the tallest boy of the group towards the woods behind the structure. “Hurry, take the younger ones and run while he’s distracted.” </p><p>        The boy nodded and began to push some of his younger companions into doing so as well. Somewhat a little more relieved at the sight, (Y/n) turned away, beginning to run towards where she had originally come. Her escape was again stopped. A hand firmly grabbed the collar of her yukata, the female yelping in surprise at the sudden tug. </p><p>        “Yo!” a familiar, but highly unwanted voice chirped.</p><p>        “Damn,” (Y/n) mumbled, unable to contain her frustration as she kicked and struggled at the black-haired male. </p><p>        Jakotsu kept a firm grip on her collar, giving her a painful, but not unreasonable kick to her shin. She winced and attempted to rub at the inflicted area, but with a tough tug she was set off balance and was now being dragged behind the black-haired male. </p><p>        Suikotsu, done with his hunting of the elderly villagers, flicked his blades to rid them of the blood coating them. Taking a moment to acknowledge the lean, but muscular male approaching from behind. </p><p>        “Suikotsu, what’s the matter with you?” </p><p>        “Jakotsu, you’re here.” </p><p>        “Before, when you had that face, you would never hurt a fly,” Jakotsu commented, “Just which Suikotsu are you?”</p><p>        “Who knows?” he replied, “But I feel much better than before. Half of me used to be in a daze. I was never sure when I would lose myself. This time, it’s different. I’m me.” </p><p>        “Does that mean even if you’re near the barrier, you won’t change into a saint?”</p><p>        “Yeah. I came here to the base of Mt. Hakurei just to it out. That fool doctor hasn’t appeared. I’m fine now.” </p><p>        Meanwhile, some of the children had yet to run; Still in shock and disbelief at the events that were transpiring; Near tears and cowering behind one another. </p><p>        “D-Dr.Suikotsu?”</p><p>        “He’s not Dr.Suikotsu,” one of the children replied, “H-he looks the same, but…”</p><p>        The dark umber-haired males looked towards the remaining children, slowly approaching them with the same uncanny expression of neutrality. </p><p>        “Everyone, please run!” (Y/n) cried, attempting to kick again Jakotsu, but received a smack to the back of her head instead. </p><p>        Suikotsu halted before the terrified children, raising one of his blade-wielding arms in preparation to attack. His expression finally morphing into something beside neutrality - enjoyment. </p><p>        “A bunch of orphans,” he scoffed, “I’ll send you to the other world, too! Die!” </p><p>        The children shrieked in terror, but the blade never did reach their flesh. Suikotsu stopped abruptly, his body freezing for no particular, nor obvious reason. The male’s hand over the children, visibly shaking, but nothing there to prevent him from following through. </p><p>        “D-damn…,” Suikotsu cursed, gritting his teeth. </p><p>        “Hey, what’s wrong?” Jakotsu queried.</p><p>        “Shaddup!” </p><p>        The armored adorned man continued to shake with exertion, before finally caving to his own frustration, yelling an aggravated, “Curse it all!” </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        Sesshomaru walked further into the barrier of Mt. Hakurei, the air itself sparking and snapping around him as he continued pushing forward. Jaken and Rin trailed behind, the former struggling to fight against the barrier in a more blatantly obvious manner. The black-haired girl still failed to feel the same purifying effects, being of the human race, but she opted to stay close to the imp at the moment. </p><p>        The Inu-Daiyōkai had found the girl not even ten minutes after he began his search. The scent of (Y/n) lingered near and by the placement of the coming-to child, the lord had assumed the older female had looked out for her younger companion before disappearing. The male assisted the girl to her feet, briefly examining her for life-endangering injuries. </p><p>        “Rin,” Sesshomaru spoke, the girl’s gaze meeting his, “Have you seen, (Y/n)?” </p><p>        The black-haired, eight-year-old shook her head, her hand subconsciously gripping onto the cloth of Sesshomaru’s trousers in search of comfort. Rin was strong in many ways, to an extent that could be considered impressive by even war-hardened adults, but she was still a child and a human; And she needed comfort just like every other child her age. He eyed her, then examined the terrain to see if the (e/c)-eyed female was perhaps circling back to the Rin’s resting spot. </p><p>        Sesshomaru gently ran a hand through the child’s hair, then carefully pried her hand from his leg. Rin hesitated, somewhat taken aback by the physical affection, before snapping out of her reverie and following after the Inu-Daiyōkai; Jaken in tow.</p><p>        “I’ve found them,” Sesshomaru mentally noted, tilting his head towards the path that sprawled further up the mountain, “They’re just beyond this point.” </p><p>        “P-please wait. Lord Sesshomaru!” Jaken cried, then yelped as the barrier electrified his small body once again. He panted, his body covered in perspiration. He squinted into the misty air, grunted, then finally succumbing to the pent up frustration of having one of his companions taken hostage, yelled his mind. </p><p>        “It’s a trap!” he cried, “They’re using (Y/n) as bait to lure you into the barrier! If you proceed any further…! Huh?!” </p><p>        Sesshomaru was already aware of the situation and was not planning on falling to the spiritual powers of the barrier, nor the clever tricks of two specters. He rounded a bend in the path, the air sparking around him again, as he continued visually unperturbed. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru!” Jaken cried, hurriedly running after him and unceremoniously falling face-first into the stone path. The imp lifted his head, impressed by the silver-haired male’s resilience to the pain or, perhaps, the lack of pain at all. </p><p>        The bug-eyed servant clenched his fist and reaffirmed himself, valiantly stating, “Well then, I must be strong.” </p><p>        “That’s the spirit, Master Jaken,” Rin encouraged, offering a small smile. </p><p>        The imp jumped to his feet and rushed forward, as he continued to himself a pep-talk, “If I really set my mind to it, I can do anything.” </p><p>        Rin watched in both amusement and mild concern as the imp was given a particularly nasty shock and was sent rolling backwards. </p><p>        “I can’t do a thing…” </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        (Y/n)’s attention was dazedly fixated on the path ahead. At some point her captors desired to quicken the pace and, with one fell swoop, the female felt herself get hoisted over the dark umber-haired male’s shoulder like a sack of vegetables or, the less preferable correlation, like slain game. </p><p>        Jukotsu stopped momentarily, looking behind down the path, “That Sesshomaru isn’t coming. I guess the barrier is too strong for him to come this far.” </p><p>        “Doesn’t seem that way…” </p><p>        “Huh?” </p><p>        Ahead stood the fur-wearing male atop an outcropping, his figure hidden partially by the mountain’s mist and the natural murkiness of the moon decorated night. Sesshomaru was standing calmly, quietly, like a predator who had the upper hand. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru!” (Y/n) cried, immensely eased by the mere sight of the man. </p><p>        “You anticipated our moves?” Suikotsu questioned, though he was aware of the answer.</p><p>        “Damn!” Jakotsu cursed, his expression darkening, “You’re a demon, yet the barrier’s not affecting you?” </p><p>        The lord was not interested in idle chatter and neither was Jakotsu, both simultaneously drawing their respective blades with an ease that only came with practiced usage. Suikotsu took a step back, removing the (h/c)-haired female from her prior position, setting her on the ground, and pinning her back against his chest, his tiger-claw gauntlet hovering uncomfortably close to her face. </p><p>        Jakotsu, ever the impatient one, attacked first. The Jakotsutō unfurled as it hurtled towards the ledge in which Sesshomaru perched. </p><p>        “Take this!”</p><p>        The silver-haired male dodged, jumping from ledge-to-ledge as the snake-like weapon overtook his footing and sent up clouds of dirt and rubble. Finding an opportunity to deflect, Sesshomaru landed, turned, and blocked the many blades of the Jakotsutō; Lowering his body in preparation for the black-haired male’s next, and inevitable attack. His arm, however, was now sporting a thin, clean cut - a dribble of blood falling and hitting the ground. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru!” (Y/n) yelled, noticing the same minor injury the others had. She was silenced by the blades of Suikotsu being threateningly pushed closer to her throat. </p><p>        Jakotsu chuckled, quite proud of his accomplishment, “Thought so! His moves are dulled.” Jukotsu retracted his blade, “Boy, you’re so proud. You can barely stand, can you? Because of the barrier!” </p><p>        The black-hair male swung his blade, obviously humored, or at least, confident with figuring out the lord’s current health status. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, could not be more annoyed at Jukotsu’s flaunting, even though his outward appearance begged to differ. The Inu-Daiyōkai deflected the blade, pulling it’s wielder forward and sending the weapon away. </p><p>        Jakotsu was sent flying over Sesshomaru’s head, landing in a crouch and quickly jumping out of the way, as the silver-haired male swung Tōkijin down towards his opponent's body. The fur-wearing male took the dominating side of the fight, pushing his opponent back with force the latter was not expecting in the slightest. Jakotsu narrowly dodged the tip of the Tōkijin as he repeatedly back-flipped away - remaining crouched, as he used the new distance between himself and the silver-haired male to his advantage. </p><p>        “That bastard…” Jakotsu growled, then took the time to mentally strategize, “Acting like he’s perfectly fine when he’s not. He’s steadily trying to move away from the barrier. It must be hard on him.” The man then proceeded to straighten himself, his brows furrowed, yelling, “Suikotsu, don’t move away from the mountain!” </p><p>        “I don’t need to be told that,” Suikotsu snapped back, still positioned behind Sesshomaru with his back close to the mountain’s rocky face, “Hurry and take care of that bastard. I’m just itching to kill this woman.” As if to prove his point, (Y/n) felt the tips of the claw-like blades press against the exposed skin on her throat.</p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru!” (Y/n) called, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as the pressure increased ever-so slightly. </p><p>        “Now do you get it?” Jakotsu jeered, “Make one wrong move and the girl is dead.” The black-haired male posed the Jakotsutō over his shoulder, taking a tentative two steps forward, “Although it’s all a matter of time.”</p><p>        “Matter of time, you say?” Sesshomaru replied, calmly; Then, alarmingly, he hummed and smirked. </p><p>        Jakotsu scoffed, “Why you…! What’s so funny?!” The male, perturbed by Sesshomaru’s bait, raised his blade to strike, “Should you be laughing like that?!” </p><p>        Jakotsu swung his blade yet again, his opponent jumping into action as soon as he did so. In a swift movement, the Inu-Daiyōkai threw his blade behind him, precisely landing into Suikotsu’s chest - opposite of the side (Y/n) was being held, while he proceeded forward. The many blades of the Jakotsutō slashed against Sesshomaru’s mokomoko, blood dripping from the wounds. In close quarters, the silver-haired male was king in this fight, and the advantage was fruitful. With a final lung, Sesshomaru plunged his hand through Jakotsu’s chest and torso armor, his hand protruding through the black-haired man’s back.</p><p>        Jakotsu grunted, struggling for a moment, then leaned into Sesshomaru’s mokomoko. Behind him, Suikotsu fell to his knees, his hands falling to his side. (Y/n) didn’t waste time, pushing herself off of the dark umber-haired male and quickly attempting to create a distance. Despite her effort, Suikotsu jutted forward and with a swift movement, grabbed her ankle, pulled her to the ground, and pinned her to there by the nape. The (e/c)-eyed female groaned, then tried to steady her breathing after it had forcefully been knocked from her. </p><p>        Suikotsu smirked, “I’m not letting you go." </p><p>        Sesshomaru looked over his shoulder at the declaration, his brows furrowing in vexation as Jakotsu began to struggle against him as well; With great difficulty, the man was pulling himself from the golden-eyed male’s limb. </p><p>        “Up close, you sure are good-looking,” the black-haired male cooed, blood dripping from his lips, "But, you’ve made a mistake. We can’t be killed like a normal man." </p><p>        Suikotsu pulled the Tōkijin from his chest, glaring at the woman in his grasp, "Jakotsu, can I kill her now? Could be because I’ve been injured, but the bastard doctor is too scared to come out. Right now, the urge to kill is overwhelming.” The grey-eyed male lifted his clawed hand, poised to strike, while (Y/n) could only grit her teeth and squeeze her eyes closed in dreaded anticipation. </p><p>        Sesshomaru didn’t hesitate, when the threat was being acted upon. The golden-eyed man smoothly ripped his arm from Jakotsu’s chest and turned to dart towards the taller of his opponents. </p><p>        “Fool!” Jakotsu exclaimed, “It’s too late!”</p><p>        “Die!” </p><p>        The sound of an arrow whistled through the mountain; Strong, quick, and resounding. A brilliant purple energy emanating from the projectile as it met its mark. The dark umber-haired mercenary gasped, releasing his hostage and precariously looking towards the arrow shaft protruding from his neck. He then fell flat on his back, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. </p><p>        Kikyo, regal and elegant, was mounted atop a dark brown stead, her arms still posed in the follow through stage; A somewhat somber expression decorating her pretty features. Behind them Jakotsu hurriedly fled the scene, not particularly interested in losing his second chance at human life once again. </p><p>        (Y/n) sat up, glancing at the downed man and then at Sesshomaru, and quickly got to her feet; Admittedly, still somewhat fearful of another failed escape like previously. She inhaled, gaining the oxygen she had been acutely kept from intaking, and dashed to the side of her companion. The (e/c)-eyed female watched as the priestess dismounted and stumbled towards the body of Suikotsu, using her exquisite long-bow as a make-shift crutch. </p><p>        She kneeled at the side of the tall male, to which he turned his head to meet her gaze. “L-lady Kikyo,” he greeted, the words somewhat distorted.</p><p>        She blinked and returned the greeting, “Dr. Suikotsu.” </p><p>        He narrowed his eyes, as if to cry, a look of pain crossing his face, “I was finally able to come back.” He turned his head, looking up towards the cloudy, but noteworthy night sky, “A dark light interfered and I couldn’t come out.” Suikotsu paused, blinking slowly, before continuing, “Lady Kikyo, please remove the shard from my neck. Then I will return to bones.” </p><p>        Kikyo narrowed her eyes, somewhat hesitant of the idea; Perhaps due to the link of empathy that was shared by those that had once been dead.</p><p>        He continued: "I… wish to be released.”</p><p>        “You would choose death?” </p><p>        “Yes,” he replied, then blinked slowly again, “I finally remember… I died once before.” He shuddered a sigh, recalling the day his personality first became split and the day he was recruited into the Shichinintai. “The other me has killed so many, many people. And the doctor in me was helpless to do anything. No matter how many lives I saved … No matter how I tried to make a difference … my soul cannot be redeemed.” </p><p>        “Dr. Suikotsu,” Kikyo started, “Good and evil coexist in all men. You must not give in to the evil in you.”</p><p>        “No. Lady Kikyo…,” he breathed, his lip quivering - on the brink of tears, “I would probably do exactly the same thing. And I cannot endure that thought.” He paused again, a saline tear finally escaping his eye, “Please, Lady Kikyo…remove the shard and release my soul.”</p><p>        Kikyo repeated his name and he repeated his final request, adding, “I beg you.”</p><p>        The black-haired priestess hesitated, contemplating her choice in the matter, before finally reaching for the shaft of the arrow. The woman, however, was never able to bank on his request. Jakotsu’s snake-like sword slicing through the man’s neck and removing the the arrow, and all, in a flash. The fragment of shikon jewel was flung from his neck, landing in the Jankotsu’s hand a distance away from the onlooking group. </p><p>        “I’ll take it as a memento,” he huffed, turned, and then disappeared into the mist of the night.</p><p>        “Dr. Suikotsu,” Kikyo asked, turning to look at the man at her side. </p><p>        “This is fine,” he garbled, “This is as it should be.” </p><p>        With the shard removed, the man’s corporeal body began to burn away, leaving nothing but dust, his garments, and the physical structure of his being - his skeleton. (Y/n) and Kikyo flinched away at the sight, a mixture of respect for the dead and shock initiating the reaction. </p><p>        (Y/n) hesitated, but decided to slowly approach the priestess, “Lady Kikyo, thank you for saving me.”</p><p>        “You’re not hurt, are you?” she asked, kindly.</p><p>        The (e/c)-eyed female smiled faintly, assuring the other woman that she was, in fact, not severely physically harmed. (Y/n) looked towards the skeleton of the deceased man, then returned her attention towards Sesshomaru - the man already retreating back down the mountain path. </p><p>        “Thank you again,” the (h/c)-haired woman remarked, performing a respectful bow and uttering a rushed, “Good-bye, please be safe, Lady Kikyo," as she raced after the Inu-Daiyōkai.</p><p>        The (e/c)-eyed female quickly caught up to him, assisted by the fact that he had paused for her around a bend further down the path. (Y/n) smiled gratefully, finally able to relax in the presence of someone familiar. </p><p>        “Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru,” she said, tears pricking at her eyes, the weight of everything crashing on her at once, “Thank you for everything.” </p><p>        Unlike the last time she was kidnapped, he nodded in response; Replying in his usual monotone, “Sesshomaru.” </p><p>        (Y/n) blinked in confusion, her brows furrowing in question, “I’m sorry?”</p><p>        “I should have been Sesshomaru to you for quite the while.” </p><p>        The female’s smile widened, wiping away the tears that had spilled from her eyes, “Thank you, Sesshomaru.” </p><p>        “(Y/n), let us go.” </p><p>        “Okay.” </p><p>        The Inu-Daiyōkai turned away from the female, heading down the path and towards their pair of companions that had remained behind.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>! This chapter has not been fully edited ! </p><p>A/N:</p><p>        With exam week over, I'm glad to finally deliver this beast of an update (by far the longest chapter published so far, but not technically the longest). I wanted to apologize for falling behind on my own schedule, so I decided an extra-large update would hopefully serve as an appropriate apology gift. On a side note, a lot occurred in the chapter and there was a lot I cut out for the sake of not drifting too far from the narrative. This includes Suikotsu's backstory, which impacted me way too much when I watched Inuyasha the first time 'round. Therefore, if you want a discussion or an interaction further explained, I'll describe the situation to the best of my ability.</p><p>        As always, please let me know if you catch any grammatical or spelling errors in the chapter, I'll be happy to fix the mistakes as promptly as I can. Please stay safe and I hope you're having a wonderful day/night. </p><p>[Fun fact: Sesshomaru is only 174 cm (5'9"), so both Jokutsu and Suikotsu are taller than our favorite boy. Suikotsu is 184 cm (6'1"), while Jokutsu is estimated to be about 178 cm (5'10").]</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The Woman Who Loved Sesshomaru</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(Y/n) released a sigh of relief at the sight of Rin. The girl, at least from appearances, was quite nearly in perfect health, outside of the few scuffs and scrapes littering her body. After her gamble of a choice, (Y/n) had determinedly forced herself to focus on the situation she was in, rather than mentally drift to the situation the little brown-eyed girl was in. </p><p>        The (h/c)-haired female had to forcibly will herself not to cry again as she embraced the small child, the task becoming even harder when Rin returned the hug with equal, perhaps even more, strength. </p><p>        “Rin,” (Y/n) greeted breathily, “I’m glad you’re okay.”</p><p>        The black-haired girl smiled, somehow worming herself even closer to the older female. </p><p>        The moment would have been considerably more sweet had it not been abruptly interrupted by Jaken crying in pain a few feet away. (Y/n) released her hold on Rin, slightly tilting her head away to examine the imp.</p><p>        “Is the barrier still affecting him?”</p><p>        Rin nodded, glancing over towards the silver-haired Inu-Daiyōkai who was hovering near the females. His gaze was on the path leading back down and away from the mountain; No outwards signs of discomfort beyond a slight twitch now-and-again from his injured arm. </p><p>        (Y/n) eyed the wound sceptically, but, deciding that the lord’s pride had probably taken a blow of sorts, left it be. The sacred barrier, she assumed, was probably hindering his expedited healing process. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        Sesshomaru rarely required sleep; It was, at most, only a circumstantial necessity. The golden-eyed male, however, was aware of the needs of his traveling companions. Stopping to camp had been something he had begun to undergo centuries ago when Jaken appointed himself as his aide, the activity had only increased when (Y/n) and Rin joined the yōkai duo. </p><p>        The male shifted his gaze from the partly cloudy night sky, his attention shifting to his companions as they set up the temporary camp. Jaken had gotten to work establishing the fire ring, while the females separated and disappeared into the woods to collect the required amount of combustible fuel. It was the same routine he had become accustomed too whenever he selected a place for them to rest. A glimpse into a domestic lifestyle in his very harsh reality. </p><p>        With a little effort, the smaller of the three were able to get the fire started while (Y/n) put wild mushrooms on thin, but sturdy sticks - kebab style. The trio talked casually and quietly -  Sesshomaru hardly found it necessary to listen in on -  as their small meal of wild mushrooms cooked. Rin happily pointed toward the food and the group removed their own stick from the beside the fire. </p><p>        (Y/n) glanced towards the male, the same question of whether he would like something to eat hanging in the air without being voiced. The females had tried many times to offer the aloof Inu-Daiyōkai food, but he frequently denied the substance with the same excuse he gave when he had originally met the females. He closed his eyes in refusal. </p><p>        Food in their stomachs and aware of the activities of tomorrow would most likely be vigorous, the group settled in around the fire. Sesshomaru watched from his position -  back against the nearest tree, as Rin and (Y/n) settled themselves on opposite sides of the fire. Jaken leaning against a fallen tree trunk, the Nintōjō cradled safely in his arms. </p><p>        The night seemed to drag on for Sesshomaru, rather impatient to resume his journey. The silver-haired male opened his eyes, his attention wandering between the trio sleeping before him. The fire had been reduced to a few smoldering pieces of wood and a pile of ashes, the same warm light that had been present before nearly completely diminished.</p><p>        Rin rolled in her sleep, his gaze darting to the girl as she moved restlessly. To his comfort, she wasn’t moving towards the fire. He closed his eyes again, the stretching silence broken by the occasional movement of creatures and beasts moving distantly in the forest. </p><p>        A shifting prompted him to look towards his companions again. His first assumption was that Rin had turned in her sleep, but the little girl had proved him wrong - still steadily sleeping in the same position she had been in the last time he checked. His second was that Jaken had dropped his staff in his sleep. When that, again, was proven wrong, his golden gaze shifted to (Y/n). </p><p>        Admittedly, she looked like she always did when she slept. Then, she shifted again, the sounds of her breathing were more pronounced, more desperate. Sesshomaru watched carefully, a frown finding hold upon his handsome features. </p><p>        The male stood quietly and approached the female, kneeling at her side. (Y/n)’s features were screwed together tightly, as if in pain, a layer of perspiration coating her skin. Sesshomaru, despite having lived for a considerably long time, knew little about humans. Most of his knowledge, admittedly, coming from the female who agitatedly slept before him. The silver-haired male placed the back of his right hand against her forehead, mimicking the action he had seen (Y/n) administer to Rin when she had been ill the while back. She wasn’t feverish - from his knowledge, so he opted to wake the female. </p><p>        (Y/n) awoke with a sharp jolt and strangled gasp, her eyes frantically looking around. Her breathing was still uneven, and even if she was now awake, Sesshomaru quickly realized she hadn’t even noticed his presence in her dazed state of awareness. </p><p>        “(Y/n),” he spoke, quietly, gently.</p><p>        She didn’t respond physically, so he attempted calling to her another time. This time her (e/c)-orbs shifted to look at the source of the sound. Her breathing shuddered, and then gradually began to even. She blinked and opened her mouth as if to speak. </p><p>        “S-Sesshomaru?”</p><p>        The said male moved to cradle the female against his body, then with some effort thrown towards remaining balanced, he stood. He wordlessly returned to his previous position leaning against the nearby tree.</p><p>        (Y/n), gaining more of her logical side, blinked and repeated the male’s name, “Sesshomaru?”</p><p>        The silver-haired male looked towards the female, examining her facial features carefully. For the most part, her expression of distress had faded, the cold sweat that overtaken her body having mostly evaporated in the chill night air. Her relaxation eased him immensely. </p><p>        “Rest,” he replied simply, shifting the female so that they were both more comfortable with the position of her being in his lap. The (h/c)-haired female smiled gently, a small gesture that didn’t quite reach her eyes, but was perhaps the most genuine expression he had seen her give. </p><p>        “Okay,” she replied quietly, carefully leaning against him. He accommodated the action, making sure the decorative spikes on either side of his chest plate were not a hindrance to the (e/c)-eyed female. </p><p>        For the first time in a considerable while, Sesshomaru went to sleep; Not out of necessity, but out of pure contentment. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~</p><p> </p><p>        The sun was slinking below the horizon, bathing the land below in bashful light. (Y/n) watched as the clouds shifted overhead, instinctively diverting a little of her attention to keeping balanced on the rocky ledge. The faint smell of salt hung in the air, notably still present even in the rocky ravine they were traveling through; The female assumed that meant they were approaching the sea. </p><p>        “Say, Master Jaken, (Y/n),” Rin started, “Let’s play tongue twisters.”</p><p>        “What’s that?” Jaken asked, giving a confused glare towards the black-haired girl.</p><p>        (Y/n) laughed lightly, a grin budding upon her features, “Sure, Rin.”</p><p>        “What’s that?” Jaken repeated, frantically looking between the females for context on a subject he was excluded from. </p><p>        “Here I go!” Rin started, cheerily ignoring Jaken’s plight of confusion, “Red Jaken, blue Jaken, gold Jaken.”</p><p>        (Y/n) followed, keeping pace with Rin, but carefully monitoring her pronunciations. Jaken, getting the gist of the game, did the same. </p><p>        “Master Jaken, you’re pretty good,” Rin noted, her tone not hiding in the slightest her surprise. (Y/n) had to nod in agreement. </p><p>        Jaken scoffed, gradually losing interest in the girl’s antics, “Yeah.”</p><p>        “Alright, here I go again,” Rin said, “Red Jaken, blue Jaken, gold Jaken.” </p><p>        “Forget it,” the imp grumbled, readjusting his grip on the Nintōjō, breathing a weary sigh. </p><p>        “Why?! Come on, say it!” </p><p>        “Bored already?” (Y/n) chuckled. </p><p>        The (e/c)-eyed female shook her head playfully at Jaken's indignant reply, glancing over at A-Un at her side, as she quietly watched the shorter pair’s good-natured bickering. Sesshomaru ahead was as stoic as he had always been, or at least pretended to be, keeping his golden gaze focused on the partly obscured rocky path ahead. He stopped suddenly, forcing the group behind him to stop, as well; Jaken ingloriously running into his master’s leg upon the abrupt stop in motion. </p><p>        “Huh?” he mumbled, returning to his feet.</p><p>        “What’s the matter, Sesshomaru?” (Y/n) asked, her grip on A-Un’s reigns tightening. </p><p>        The silver-haired male wordlessly responded, giving a vague tilt of his head towards the path ahead. The group, accustomed to his intricacies, looked forward, squinting into the mist to catch a glimpse at the cause of their abrupt stop. A figure, faint against the shadows of night and fogginess of the mist, was gracefully approaching. A mournful tune of a flute whistled through the air as the person gradually became more distinguishable. The figure, a female with long brownish-black hair, and dressed smartly in a beautiful pale-pink kimono and long green haori, stopped her playing to bow before the Inu-Daiyōkai.</p><p>        “It has been quite some time, Lord Sesshomaru.” </p><p>        (Y/n) blinked, sharing a confused look with her shorter female companion; The latter offering a mild shrug. Jaken, ever the bold one, was the first to voice the thoughts of the trio.</p><p>        “Who are you? An acquaintance of Lord Sesshomaru?”</p><p>        “I am Sara,” she replied, simply, raising her head to make eye contact with the fur-adorned male.</p><p>        “Huh? W-Who?” Jaken asked. </p><p>        “Have you forgotten about the time at Asano Castle?” Sara inquired, a tone of desperation evident in her voice. (Y/n) and Rin, having absolutely no insight into the matter, looked towards the silver-haired male for more context.</p><p>        “Asano castle?” Sesshomaru repeated. </p><p>        “Huh?” Jaken mumbled.</p><p>        “The first time I saw you, Lord Sesshomaru, was at Asano Castle during those turbulent times,” she explained, returning to stand on her feet, “Lord Sesshomaru…”</p><p>        The golden-eyed male furrowed his brows, stating, “I do not know you.” With his deal spoken, he walked past the female, his silky hair flowing behind him. </p><p>        Sara stood in bewilderment, hesitating for a moment, before turning to continue speaking with the male. </p><p>        “Please wait,” she spoke, “I want to help make your wish come true.” </p><p>        The silver-haired male stopped in his tracks, replying to her without facing the female, “Wish… you say?”</p><p>        “And when your wish comes true,” she commented, her grip on her finely carved flute tightening nervously, “Please accept these feelings I have for you.” </p><p>        (Y/n), who had been listening to the interaction with interest, glanced between the strange female and the demon lord ahead. She turned away, quietly reaching over to stroke Un’s mane in a fleeting attempt to ease her nervousness. The situation felt odd; Peculiar in a way she couldn’t quite place. </p><p>        “Will you stop this nonsense?!” Jaken cried, stomping the ground petulantly, “There’s no way someone like you can fulfill Lord Sesshomaru’s wishes -!” </p><p>        The little imp’s rant was interrupted by his master’s firm, sharp call, “Jaken!” </p><p>        “Huh?”</p><p>        “Stand back.”</p><p>        Jaken swallowed thickly, retreating into himself, “I understand.” </p><p>        The brownish-black haired female smiled at the interaction, accepting it as an agreement,  “I will fulfill your wish, no matter what.”</p><p>        Sesshomaru scoffed, eyeing the feel with a glare, before returning his attention ahead, “As you please.”</p><p>        “All right,” she agreed, quickly turning away to continue down the path the group had already trekked. </p><p>        Princess Sara slowed her pace as she reached (Y/n), the females briefly making eye-contact before they both uncomfortably looked away. Rin and her senior both watched the female leaving, her hair and long garments gracefully flowing behind her as she proceeded. </p><p>        “Just who is she?” Jaken mumbled, turning to look towards his master. </p><p>        After a moment of tensity that hung precariously following her departure, (Y/n) exhaled a burst of air she was unaware she had been keeping,  and looked expectantly towards Sesshomaru. The smaller of the Inu-Daiyōkai’s companions rushed towards him, curious of his interaction with the ghost-like female. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru, who is that woman, anyway?” the imp questioned.</p><p>        “She sure was pretty,” Rin commented offhandedly.</p><p>        “Hah! That’s only make up. Just make-up,” Jaken derided, “Geez! What can a mere human even do?” </p><p>        “Are you blind?” Sesshomaru asked rhetorically, his tone agitated and firm, earning the attention of all present, “That was no human.” </p><p>        “Huh?! No way!” Jaken gasped, whipping around to look towards the disappeared figure of Sara. Rin and (Y/n) instinctively doing the same, despite the female already having moved well out of range of their human eye-sight.</p><p>        “A demon,” Sesshomaru explained, “No, perhaps originally human, but one who never quite became a demon.” The Inu-Daiyōkai’s brows furrowed, rather disgruntled by the newfound presence of the half-demon declaring devotion. He supposed he would watch as the subsequent events unfolded. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~</p><p> </p><p>        Sesshomaru led his companions to safety and then departed, following Sara’s scent to locate the half-demon’s new location. The brownish, black-haired female was situated near a coastal town, and through clever tricks and the smart usage of demon puppets, had enabled herself to steal Tetsusaiga.</p><p>        It was at this point the silver-haired Inu-Daiyōkai entered the stage. The salty wind swaying his long hair and the fur of his mokomoko. Hovering in the air upon the body of a midnight black, phoenix-Esque specter, was the no longer princess; Tightly clasping the Tetsusaiga in her hands as she looked towards Sesshomaru in bewilderment.</p><p>        “What is Lord Sesshomaru doing here?” Princess Sara exclaimed, notably surprised by the male’s newfound presence at the scene. </p><p>        Inuyasha and Kagome stood to the side, having followed the brown-eyed woman due to her thievery of the demonic blade. Inuyasha, who was rightfully furious, almost immediately took note of his older brother’s presence as well, growling, “So you were behind this after all, Sesshomaru!”</p><p>        Having little-to-no-patience and agitated by the stealing of his precious Tetsusaiga, the younger silver-haired male charged his older brother. Sesshomaru, who was entirely disinterested in Inuyasha’s involvement in the matter, handled his brother quickly and efficiently. </p><p>        “Iron-Reaver, Soul-Stealer!” the red-adorned male cried, pulling his arm back in preparation to attack. Sesshomaru jumped forward, grabbing his brother’s down swinging hand at the wrist, a green light tinting their features as the older male activated his poison claws. </p><p>        Sesshomaru, perhaps due his lingering bitterness towards his brother and his overall aggravation with the hanyōs present, smirked slightly at his younger brother’s grunts of pain. </p><p>        Sara, seizing the moment, swooped in on her specter, exclaiming, “Lord Sesshomaru, please hold him down!” </p><p>        The male furrowed his brows at the comment, swiftly releasing and pushing his half-brother to the ground to attack the bird specter and its rider in a precise movement. His poison eroded the specter-like yōkai in a matter of seconds, pieces of scattered flesh falling to the ground. Sara, having completely avoided the attack, landed nearby.</p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru!” she called, quite confused at the turn of events. </p><p>        “Why you-!” Inuyasha growled, still very eager to settle things with a physical fight and still awkwardly sitting in the position he fell in. </p><p>        “Stop your barking, Inuyasha,” Sesshomaru growled, shooting a glare over his shoulder towards his brazen-faced brother. </p><p>        “Wha-”</p><p>        “This has nothing to do with you.”</p><p>        The flute-playing female kneeled, her head bowed, holding the sheathed Tetsusaiga out towards the male in question. </p><p>        “You are under the wrong impression,” Sesshomaru stated. Sara looked up in surprise, her arms still outstretched as a gasp escaped her lips. “Did you really believe that I desire this?” </p><p>        “And do you not?” </p><p>        Sesshomaru’s expression darkened, obviously displeased with her assumption, “I will not accept help from one such as you to defeat Inuyasha.” </p><p>        With his opinion stated, he turned away without another word. Sara gasped again in shock, her features contorting to one of mild distress. </p><p>        “Please wait, Lord Sesshomaru!” she cried, quickly getting to her feet. The silver-haired lord gave her no heed, continuing to walk towards the cliff edge. His body began to glow as he moved, before quickly, he was enveloped in light and floated away as such. </p><p>        The abandoned flute-playing female watched as he left, her eyes dimmed with sadness. </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru,” she whispered. </p><p>        “Hey you!” Inuyasha, unperturbed, yelled, “Give me back my Tetsusaiga!” </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~ </p><p> </p><p>        Sesshomaru landed in the forest some distance away, transforming from a glowing ball of energy and light to his usual, human-like form. The forest was darkened by the heavy canopy, little streams of light illuminating the healthy foliage and the world below. </p><p>        His judgment made clear and having no further purpose to be involved, the male started walking, intent on making his way back towards his companions. The male, however, only made it a few yards before he stopped, a mild sense of recognition halting his movements. </p><p>        Before him rested an ancient tree, gargantuan in stature and thick with leaves. The tree, alone in a small clearing of its own making, was the source of his sudden awareness. </p><p>        “This tree…,” he thought, “I see… It was back then…”</p><p>        “You remember now?” Sara asked, approaching the male from behind, “Yes, on that day, you were leaning against that tree and resting. I will never forget the sight that day. I had never before seen anyone as handsome as you… And I gazed at you for a long, long time. Later that day, I went to a nearby pasture to pick flowers for you. And I was filled with so much happiness.” The female still holding the Tetsusaiga, paused for a moment, her gaze lingering on the tree. “My father’s actions were unforgivable. There is no way I can make amends.”</p><p>        “The sound of a flute…” </p><p>        “Huh?”</p><p>        “I thought I heard a flute on that day.”</p><p>        “Yes,” Sara answered, reaching for her flute tucked safely between the layers of clothing. She retrieved the item from her clothing, “It was this flute.” </p><p>        The former princess silently walked towards the tree, sitting with her back against the bark. With trained fingers and memories flooding through her brain, the brownish, black-haired female began to play the tune she had that very fateful day. The notes drifted through the forest, accentuated by the occasional sounds of the forest.  </p><p>        The melody stopped and she lowered her flute, “The Asano Castle burned to the ground. The one who set the castle afire was my father, Soju Asano. He was so frightened by you, Lord Sesshomaru, that he must have gone mad. He chose death and went down along with his castle. I harbor no ill will towards you, at all. My deranged father was to blame. After that, I entered a nunnery to pray for the repose of my father and his vassals. But call it punishment or fate, I became ill with a contagious sickness and learned that my days were numbered. I intended to end my life. Forever keeping secret feelings for you.” </p><p>        She paused, her fingers somberly ghosting over the wood grain of her prized instrument. </p><p>        “But then Inuyasha appeared. When I saw Inuyasha, I had second thoughts. If I could but live a little longer, I would bear my fangs at him, and even if it meant dying in the process, steal the Tetsusaiga away from him. It was the least I could do to atone for my father’s deed. It was then when many apparitions appeared before me.</p><p>        The former princess looked up, examining the demon lord near her with an expression that screamed devotion. </p><p>        “I had no doubts. Without reservation… rather happily, I gave my body and soul to those demons. The overflowing spiritual energy. My soul and body which had been released… I was reborn,” she stated, delicately tucked her flute back into her garments. She stood, as cordially as ever, and retrieved the Tetsusaiga, which she had set leaning against the tree moments prior. Again, she offered forth the sheathed weapon, “Please acknowledge all that I have done until this day.”</p><p>        Sesshomaru, who had been silent through her monologue, shifted his gaze toward her; Not quite cold, but not quite respecting either. He hummed in contempt, “So that is your true form?” </p><p>        “True form? What do you mean, Lord Sesshomaru?”</p><p>        The conversation was abruptly cut short. The cries of an angered Inuyasha echoing through the little meadow surrounding the tree. The younger of the demon brothers immediately jumped into action, fully intent on attacking the female hanyō to retrieve his beloved weapon. </p><p>        “Iron-Reaver, Soul-Stealer!” </p><p>        Sesshomaru quickly wheeled around, Tōkijin unsheathed and being efficaciously used to produce a swipe at the younger male. Inuyasha, in a series of gymnastic flips, dodged the worst of his brother’s attack, a shallow, but wide-cut appearing on his upper bicep. </p><p>        Wincing in pain, but remaining tenacious, snarled, “So you’re gonna get in the way, Sesshomaru?!” </p><p>        “You will not lay a finger on her. She is none of your concern,” the Inu-Daiyōkai declared, his voice firm and set. </p><p>        “No way! I’m gonna get Tetsusaiga back!” Inuyasha replied, and prompted another attack,” Blades of Blood!” </p><p>        Sesshomaru easily deflected the attacks from himself, a few stray crescent-moon-shaped blades flying beyond the older male. Sara cried in pain and frustration, a horde of low-level demons emerging from the newfound wound where she had had her arm amputated. With snake-like bodies, the yōkai bound Inuyasha, a muffled yelp escaping him. </p><p>        “Curse you, Inuyasha! I shall send you to your death!” Sara cried, a demon standing in as her new limb. </p><p>        Sesshomaru side-stepped, purposefully putting himself between the two battling hanyō. </p><p>        “What?” Sara exclaimed, obviously quite surprised finding that the male hadn’t sided with her.</p><p>        “Do not reveal any more of your disgusting self to me!” </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru,” she mumbled, her eyes wide. </p><p>        Overhead Kirara, transformed, carried her human companions. Against the miasma-filled sky of purple, the incoming group was almost comically visible. </p><p>        “There! It’s Inuyasha!” Kagome noted, pointing out the dueling figures below.</p><p>        “Let’s go down, Kirara!” Sango ordered, receiving a yowl of understanding from the ever-loyal nekomata. </p><p>        “But the ones fighting are…” Miroku mumbled, brows furrowed in thought. </p><p>        “Sesshomaru and that woman!” Shippo finished, easily the most surprised out of the current riders. </p><p>        “What’s going on?” Kagome mumbled, gripping her bow tighter. </p><p>        Meanwhile, the silver-haired demon lord raised Tōkijin and, in a swift and deadly movement, brought the blade back down. </p><p>        Sara, quite literally, split in two. </p><p>        Out forth from the wound burst a multitude of demons, the air surrounding her consumed by a thick, almost palpable miasma. The yōkai, which were formerly inhabiting the female’s body, were of different sizes and colors, though all equally grotesque and grisly in appearance; Shrieking at their forced release. </p><p>        “Sesshomaru….!” she screamed, her voice distorted; Inhuman. Her face joined together again, yet, unlike before, she was no longer Sara. Her features were no longer human in appearance, replaced by a yōkai with rather strong features and taunt dark greenish-beige skin. A pair of large, imposing horns protruded from its scalp and fangs peeked out from its lips. </p><p>        “Damn you! You’ve exposed us…!” </p><p>        “Did you truly believe I would not see through the disguise?” Sesshomaru inquired, his tone consumed by disgust and irritation. </p><p>        “Good for you, Sesshomaru… You found us out. It is as you thought. Sara was simply a medium. Our true aim … is you, Sesshomaru! We made use of Inuyasha and took his Tetsusaiga, knowing with certainty that you would appear. It seems our plan was right on target.” </p><p>        Behind Sesshomaru and the leading demon of Sara’s possession, Inuyasha’s friends landed at the edge of the clearing. Miroku and Sango, who were both more battle experienced and intent of resolving the issue, quickly slid off of the nekomata’s back</p><p>        “So many demons!” Shippo cried, threading his fingers in Kirara’s fur. </p><p>        “Inuyasha!” Kagome cried. </p><p>        Sango lifted the Hiraikotsu, a large, demonic boomerang, and skillfully threw it to slay the demons imprisoning the struggling Inuyasha. The weapon soared back to her hand, her gaze lifting to examine the swarm of demons gathered overhead. </p><p>        “Inuyasha, get down!” Miroku ordered, unwrapping the beads around his wrist, “Wind tunnel!” </p><p>        The void in the monk’s palm did what it did best and cleared the area of mass majority of the demons now teeming the area. The possessed form of Sara rocked with the force, the remaining inhabitants - minus the horned yōkai - of the body being removed steadily. </p><p>        Sara’s possessor shuffled backward, back against the form of the ancient tree. The void from which the inner-demons were escaping Sara’s body reopened, another wave of weak yōkai congesting the area. The head demon of the ordeal, experiencing a second wind, laughed mockingly, “This woman’s spiritual energy has become our power. And once we absorb your demonic powers, we will become the most powerful demon of all!” </p><p>        Sesshomaru scoffed, “Trash, the whole lot of you!”</p><p>        The head-demon growled but was silenced immediately by a soft voice.</p><p>        “L-Lord Sesshomaru…”</p><p>        The void which was releasing the monstrous apparitions closed, being replaced by the ghostly face of Sara. </p><p>        “Please forgive me…”</p><p>        “Hah! Silence! You are now a part of us!” the head-demon gloated, “Soon, you will lose all volition and you will not be able to move or die.” </p><p>        “All because of my foolishness…” Sara lamented, tears pricking her eyes, “I have been such a burden to you, Lord Sesshomaru.”</p><p>        “Hey, I said to keep quiet!” </p><p>        “Lord Sesshomaru… If you are able… If you are able… Please destroy me along with the demons.” </p><p>        Without hesitation, Sesshomaru’s blade sliced through the flesh of the possessed body. Yet, despite the attack usually being a fatal one, the miasma void consuming the torso of the body began to enlarge; More demons escaping the body. </p><p>        The head-demon laughed, “It’s useless. That sword is consumed by anger and hatred! To those of us who thirst for blood, that sword revitalizes us. You cannot destroy us since that sword only gives us power!”</p><p>        Sesshomaru, irked by the demon’s mouth, struck again with Tōkijin. The attack, unlike before, dealt damage and sliced the remaining arm - the one still clutching Tetsusaiga - from the body; And like before, it was replaced by a snake-like yokai with scaly skin and formidable fangs. </p><p>        The sheathed Tetsusaiga landed upright in the dirt a few mere feet away from Sesshomaru’s current position. The leading demon roared in rage, the rate of the demons exiting the possessed body of Sara increasing tenfold. </p><p>        Kagome raised her bow, catching the eye of Inuyasha who had just slain one of the escaping beasts. </p><p>        “Kagome!” he called.</p><p>        “I’m going to try! I want to save her! Maybe I can purify her body of those demons!”</p><p>        The black-haired teenager drew the string of the bow back, set, and released in a practiced, robotic movement. The sacred arrow flew true, piercing the chest of the possessed figure. </p><p>        “Damn you, girl!” </p><p>        In a fit of rage, the demons leaving the void of Sara’s overtaken body multiplied, a handful heading towards the long-range fighter. </p><p>        “Kagome!” Shippo cried worriedly, still standing atop Kirara, “The demons have multiplied!”</p><p>        The silver-haired hanyō made up for the success-turned-blunder, slaying the dastardly creatures that dared get too close to the human archer. </p><p>        “S-sorry,” Kagome yelled, pulling her bow closer to her body. </p><p>        Sesshomaru flicked the Tōkijin, and properly returned the blade to his side, saying, “If I cannot use my Tōkijin, there is only this!” With assured steps, the silver-haired demon lord closed the gap between himself and Inuyasha’s sword, grasping the hilt. Immediately the air was charged with electricity and illuminating the area in sacred blue light,  as the sword attempted to repel the pureblooded Inu-Daiyōkai. </p><p>        “Tetsusaiga!”</p><p>        “Sesshomaru is wielding the Tetsusaiga!”</p><p>        The golden-eyed male drew the blade from the embedded sheath, raising the blade above his head in preparation for his next swing. The horde of demons, malicious and blood-thirsty, approached ever closer and right into range of the Tetsusaiga. With a powerful swing, the clearing was washed with a blinding light, the approaching demons rendered to ash within moments. </p><p>        “Impossible!” the head-demon screamed. </p><p>        The air fiercely swirled around the clearing, forcing those that remained to brace their bodies and cover their faces. Sesshomaru, having no further need and heeding the pain originating from his hand, tossed the blade towards his brother, who accepted the blade with the fervor of a child. </p><p>        The wind slowed and finally settled, the dirt returning to place as clearing returned to peacefulness. Inuyasha, equipped once again with his demonic blade, slew the rest of the lingering yōkai with the assistance of Kagome and her sacred arrows. </p><p>        The miasma slowly dissolved, a distant bird chirping at the reprieve from the darkness. Sesshomaru eyed the palm of his hand, which had been burned and blistered from Tetsusaiga’s denial. He lowered his arm, noticing the sight beneath the tree. </p><p>        Sara lay on her side, most of her figure already dissolved into ash, but her body emitting a glow that could only be described as pure. Her flute by her side and tears trickled from her brown eyes. </p><p>        “I am free at last. Lord Sesshomaru, thank you.”</p><p>        The said male knelt by her side, retrieving her ornately designed flute with careful intention. </p><p>        “I have no regret...At the very end, I was able to express my true feelings to you,” Sara’s voice quivered, then with a final hiss, her body dissolved into dust. Sesshomaru shifted his gaze to what remained behind. The male quietly placed the flute into the pile of angelic-like dust, then stood.         </p><p>        “Go play your flute in the other world,” Sesshomaru stated, walking past her remains and disappearing into the forest. </p><p> </p><p>~ + ~</p><p> </p><p>        (Y/n) and Rin hummed a tune of their own making. The (e/c)-eyed female’s attention drifting towards the blood-red horizon peeking over the towers of rock that made up the canyon. Sesshomaru had left the group hours before, offering no explanation and probably would never do so. The girls had explored for a while, to the chagrin of the dramatic Jaken, but never drifted out of the eyesight of the temporary resting point, lest the fur-adorning male arrives unexpectedly. Now, they sat patiently, entertaining themselves, as they awaited the male’s return as the sun continued to slink lower. </p><p>        Jaken, on the other hand, was a ball of nervous energy. Pacing. Mumbling. Glancing. </p><p>        “Where could he have gone?”</p><p>        (Y/n) shifted her body, her back sore from holding the same position for too long. As she moved, (Y/n) caught a glimpse of motion and intuitively turned to look. Surprised at first, but quickly coming to her senses, she smiled at the much-welcomed sight. </p><p>        “Oh, welcome back, Sesshomaru!” and waved from her spot atop A-Un. Rin followed suit happily waving and chirping her own excited greeting. </p><p>        “Where have you been, Lord Sesshomaru?!” Jaken asked, scampering over to his master like an enthusiastic puppy. </p><p>        “Nowhere,” he brusquely replied.</p><p>        “Nowhere?” Jaken repeated, visually distressed by the vague response, “Oh, don’t be so vague… Lord Sesshomaru!” </p><p>        (Y/n) tapped A-Un, the dragon-yōkai getting to his feet at the gesture. </p><p>        “Let’s go, ” Sesshomaru spoke, briefly slowing his pace for his message to be heard. </p><p>        “Yes!” Rin exclaimed, excited to not be idly sitting in place any longer. </p><p>        “I’m sorry, Lord Sesshomaru,” Jaken apologized, then sing-songly added, “Lord Sesshomaru, where…”</p><p>        He was cut off by a swift corporal punishment from the golden-eyed male in question, stuttered yelps and gurgles escaping the little servant.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N:</p><p>        I apologize for the unplanned three-month-long hiatus. I've been drowning in work and procrastination for much too long. On a brighter note, in addition to Chapter 14, I'll be posting finished Chapters 15-17 either tomorrow or during the upcoming week. </p><p>        I remember watching the episodes this chapter was based in 2018 and thinking, "Damn, Sesshomaru had a lot of character development." Then, now, almost three years later, thinking the same thing. I figured we should revel in this together, so I decided to include it. </p><p>        Also, many thanks to Wolvesnight (On Quotev) who - a whopping four months ago - suggested the brief nightmare seen. It seemed logical considering how many times Reader has been kidnapped at this point. </p><p>        Thank you again for all the support! Your feedback, critique, and notes about any grammatical or spelling errors are always appreciated. Please stay safe and I hope you're having a wonderful day/night.</p><p>(Minor question, but, would anyone know why AO3 won't allow me to label the publication date to be in 2021? )</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>